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Toby Keith's straw cowboy hat next to a red solo cup.

February 16, 2024

S4E46: What You Need to Know about Stomach Cancer – Part 1

Learn all about stomach cancer risk factors, symptoms & diagnosis

Stomach cancer is the 5^th most common cancer in the world, and anyone can get it. This is part one of a two-part review where we talk about risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, staging, and survival estimates. We also highlight the life and poetry of Toby Keith who died this month, 28 months after his stomach cancer diagnosis.

In this Episode:

00:00 – Our Sponsor: Tree of Life Memorials and Digital & Stone
00:20 – Intro
05:59 – Remembering Toby Keith
17:16 – How to make Toby’s Fried Bologna Sandwich
18:19 – All About Stomach Cancer, Part 1: risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, staging, and survival estimates
47:21 – Don’t Let the Old Man In
52:47 – Outro

Remembering Toby Keith

In the Fall of 2021 Toby Keith, country music star and Oklahoma Native, was diagnosed with stomach cancer, 28 months later he died. He was treated with surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation treatments that together take a toll on a body. His last TV appearance was in 2023, but he continued to play at Hollywood Corners, a local outdoor venue in Norman, Oklahoma during the July 4^th weekend of 2023, and a final 3 shows in Vegas a few months before his death.

What Is Stomach Cancer?

Mr. Keith’s death has sparked renewed calls from doctors to pay attention to signs of stomach cancer, which include heartburn, acid reflux, anemia, nausea, ulcers, pain after eating, sudden weight loss or feeling full after eating small amounts. Dr. Matzo shares about this disease and what to expect if diagnosed with it.

Endoscopy combined with CT scans or other imaging is how the journey starts for a diagnosis.

To understand stomach cancer and how it is staged, it helps to visualize the structure. Refer to the image below for Dr. Matzo’s description. The stomach wall is made up of five layers of tissue and muscle. Knowing about these layers can help you understand the stage of your cancer.

a diagram showing the layers of the stomach wall — Layers of the stomach wall. The wall of the stomach is made up of the mucosa (innermost layer), submucosa, muscle layer, subserosa, and serosa (outermost layer). The stomach is an organ in the upper abdomen.
(Credit: © Terese Winslow, source: Cancer.gov)

A diagram of the stages of stomach cancer — Cancer is staged by how far the cancer cells how penetrated into tissues, and how far they have traveled, such as into lymph nodes or distant sites. (Source: St John’s Cancer Center)

Don’t Let the Old Man In

Charlie told us a little about how Toby Keith’s much-loved song came to be and read the lyrics to us. You can hear Toby sing it in a music video for “The Mule” starring Clint Eastwood. It was a conversation with Clint Eastwood that inspired the song! Below is the last TV appearance Toby made, to sing his song for The People’s Choice Awards.

Toby Keith signing Don’t Let the Old Man In, in his last TV appearance before his death from stomach cancer

Recipe of the Week:

In honor of Toby Keith, we bring his favorite fried bologna sandwich, featured in his restaurant I Love This Bar & Grill. Keith’s version required all-beef bologna, which you cut yourself, topped with mustard, mayo, and barbecue sauce. You could make this sandwich on slider rolls and take them to your next funeral lunch as a tribute to Toby.

Learn how to make a fried bologna sandwich, and get a peek at Toby’s restaurant in Oklahoma City.

References:

Toby Keith, Larger-Than-Life Country Music Star, Dies at 62 – NY Times
After Toby Keith’s death, doctors warn that stomach cancer signs are easy to miss (nbcnews.com)
NCI Stomach Cancer: https://www.cancer.gov/types/stomach

Resources:

Toby Keith’s Last TV Performance: https://www.billboard.com/music/country/toby-keith-final-tv-performance-1235600083/
Willie Nelson, Don’t Let the Old Man In: https://youtu.be/OVWUTuXlDFI
Toby Keith Opens Up About His Battle With Cancer And Decades Long Career – YouTube
Sammy Hagar Visits Toby Keith’s Unbelievable Oklahoma Ranch | Rock & Roll Road Trip (youtube.com)
American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/diet-physical-activity/acs-guidelines-nutrition-physical-activity-cancer-prevention.html
How to Quit Using Tobacco: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/tobacco/guide-quitting-smoking.html
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and Cancer: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/h-pylori-fact-sheet

Our Sponsors

This episode was sponsored by The Tree of Life Memorials and Digital & Stone – a new platform to create digital memorials, environmental legacies and fine art monuments. Share the Stories, preserve the memories, conserve the land, connect the Souls…. because Love never dies. Find out more at https://www.digitalandstone.com/

**We are also selected as one of the Top 50 Grief Blogs on the Web!**
https://blog.feedspot.com/palliative_care_podcasts/

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