ROANOKE, Va. – Beloved country singer Toby Keith has died at age 62 after a fight with stomach cancer.
He was diagnosed back in 2021.
We spoke with an oncologist at Carilion, who said stomach cancer rates have gone down drastically in the last 100 years, currently making up less than one percent of cancers in America.
But they said it is hard to detect, and not something typically screened for.
“If it’s really just locally involving the stomach wall, cure rates are as high as 70, 80, 90%. If it’s distance spreads, the cure rate and the five-year survival is not even 10%. We’re making strides in treating cancers, but gastric cancer when it’s widespread, it’s tough to cure,” Medical Director of Hematology and Oncology for Carilion Clinic Dr. William Fintel said.
They think stomach cancer is primarily related to an unhealthy diet, and alcohol and tobacco use.