DENVER (KDVR) — Country star Toby Keith passed away this week at the age of 62 after a battle with stomach cancer.
Now, Colorado doctors say his death has raised awareness about the disease that kills around 11,000 people in the U.S. every year.
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“I’ve had several people reach out already and ask me if they need to be screened for gastric cancer,” said Dr. Jason Henry, a medical oncologist at Sarah Cannon Research Institute at HealthONE in Denver.
He said the early signs of stomach cancer are easy to downplay.
“Because there is a cancer in your stomach, food doesn’t advance the way it’s supposed to, which can lead to heartburn, weight loss, abdominal pain,” Henry said.
Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting or tiredness. Late-stage symptoms may include black stool.
“Because of its difficulty in diagnosing and vague symptoms, many patients do present with stage 4 cancer, at which point it is no longer curable,” Henry said.