Stomach Cancer Symptoms Explained as Mike Mora, Kelis' Husband, Dies

Mike Mora, the husband of U.S. singer Kelis, has died at the age of 37 after a fight with stomach cancer, according to reports. A spokesperson for Kelis' management team confirmed the news in a statement to Entertainment Tonight, and asked for the privacy of Kelis and her family to be respected. Mora, a photographer, detailed his battle with stage 4 stomach cancer in a series of Instagram posts in September 2021. In one, he described how he had been experiencing "the worst pain in my stomach," loss of appetite and back pain. Stomach cancer occurs in the stomach as cancer cells start to grow out of control. It rarely causes symptoms in its early stages, meaning that in countries where screening is not routine, most cases aren't diagnosed until the cancer has grown fairly large or it has spread, according to the American Cancer Society.

Typical Symptoms

When stomach cancer does cause symptoms, they might typically include having a poor appetite, weight loss despite the patient not trying to lose weight, feeling full despite eating only small amounts, experiencing pain in the abdomen, heartburn or indigestion, nausea, vomiting with or without blood, having blood in stools, generally feeling tired, having a swollen abdomen, or yellowing of the eyes or skin, the American Cancer Society states. Some of those symptoms may also be caused by a range of other illnesses including different types of cancer. Another symptom, according to Cancer Research U.K., is difficulty swallowing. The disease mostly affects older people, with about two-thirds of those with stomach cancer being over the age of 65, according to Medline Plus, a health information source from the National Library of Medicine. Risk factors associated with stomach cancer include being male; eating lots of salted, smoked, or pickled foods; smoking cigarettes; having a family history of stomach cancer; having a Helicobacter pylori infection; or having had stomach inflammation.

Read more

• Surgeon's Heartwarming Tweet About Seeing Former Patient Goes Viral
• Highly Pathogenic Bird Flu Now in Almost a Quarter of U.S. States
• Woman in 'Total Shock' After Stomach Cramps Turn Out to Be Unexpected Baby

For 2022, the American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 26,380 new cases of stomach cancer in the U.S. and 11,090 deaths. It accounts for about 1.5 percent of all new cancers diagnosed in the country annually. The treatment will depend on what specific type of stomach cancer a patient has and what stage the cancer is at. Surgery is the most common part of stomach cancer treatment plans with most patients having an operation at some point, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Other types of treatment may include chemotherapy, drugs, immunotherapy and radiation therapy.