[UPDATE] Toby Keith's Death Sparks Stomach Cancer Awareness Calls as Doctors Warn Symptoms are Easy To Miss

Toby Keith's sudden death broke the hearts of many. The popular American country singer died at the age of 62 on Monday, Feb. 5, because of his stomach cancer.

For those who weren't aware of his health condition, Toby Keith's stomach cancer was first diagnosed back in 2021. For the past few years, the musician had been undergoing chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation.

However, these treatments weren't enough. Because of Toby Keith's death, there's now a renewed call from doctors to pay more attention to stomach cancer symptoms.

According to NBC News' latest report, Toby Keith's sudden death sparked stomach cancer awareness calls from doctors and other medical experts.

This is because early symptoms of stomach cancers could easily be missed by people. After all, they are very similar to those of other less severe health conditions.

"A lot of these things are relatively innocuous. But of course, with a cancer, that's how it gets you," explained Johns Hopkins Medicine's Division Chief of Gastrointestinal Oncology Dr. Fabian Johnston.

He added that patients, and even doctors, usually dismiss stomach cancer symptoms, such as acid reflux, since they are typically harmless.

However, dismissing these early stomach cancer signs could risk the lives of patients since it could lead to delayed detection. Johnston added that once symptoms start getting worse, the stomach cancer may already have advanced to the next stage.

The American Cancer Society said that this 2024, there could be around 27,000 new stomach cancer cases that would be diagnosed. Although diagnoses of this health condition have declined over the past 10 years, experts warned that cases among younger adults are increasing.

Early Stomach Cancer Symptoms To Know

NHS Inform provided the early stomach cancer symptoms that people should be aware of. These include the following:

• Feeling very full or bloated after meals
• Persistent indigestion and heartburn
• Persistent stomach pain
• Unexpected weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• Trapped wind and frequent burping
• Fatigue

Once people miss these health signs and they do have stomach cancer, they could suffer from more severe symptoms, such as the following:

• Weight loss
• Blood in your stools, or black stools
• Loss of appetite

Health experts said that men 55 years old and above are more at risk of developing stomach cancer. This is because of their smoking and other unhealthy habits.

These are just some of the details you need to know about the deadly stomach cancer. If you're already in the 55-year-old age group, you can click this link to learn more about it.

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Toby Keith, Doctors