At 33, ‘90 Day Fiancé’ Star Liz Woods Is Dealing With Stomach Cancer & New Research Suggests Rising Cases Among Young Adults

According to recent data published in JAMA, the number of people diagnosed with stomach cancer (also called gastric cancer) before age 50 is on the rise. Among early-onset gastrointestinal (GI) cancers reported in 2022, gastric cancer accounted for 23.8% — 80,885 cases — making it the second most common behind colorectal cancer. Esophageal cancer (13.2%; 45,056 cases) and pancreatic cancer (8.6%; 29,402 cases) rounded out the top four.

 

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“It’s been a long, exhausting year. I’m extremely tired all the time, but I have never been more focused on my health,” Woods shared in an episode of 90 Day Diaries.

While the specifics of Woods’ diagnosis haven’t been publicly disclosed, she’s revealed that she’s undergone 14 rounds of chemotherapy. Side effects from treatment have led to fatigue and changes in weight — physical and emotional hurdles she’s faced head-on.

“My body has been through depression, which made me gain an uncontrollable amount of weight, treated me well during my own weight loss journey, and then endured 14 rounds of chemo,” she said.

 

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Her openness about the experience highlights the growing awareness around younger adults facing cancer that was once considered rare in their age group.

Understanding the Surge of Stomach Cancer Cases in Young Adults

The researchers in the study focused on the lifestyle choices of younger people, particularly their level of physical activity and dietary habits.

The researchers say that most early-onset gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are linked to lifestyle choices that people can change. These include being overweight, eating a poor diet – specifically, “sugar-sweetened beverages, ultra processed foods), sedentary lifestyle, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption.”

There are also risk factors that people can’t control that can influence cancer risk, such as having a family history of cancer, inherited conditions like Lynch syndrome, and inflammatory bowel disease — especially for those with early-onset colorectal cancer.

Treatment for early-onset gastrointestinal cancers is usually similar to what’s used for older adults, which may include chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation.

Currently, most early-onset gastrointestinal cancers don’t have recommended screening guidelines. However, in the U.S., people at average risk for colorectal cancer (CRC) are advised to start screening at age 45. If you’re at higher risk — such as having Lynch syndrome, a close relative with CRC, or advanced precancerous growths — you should begin screening even earlier.

What You Should Know About Stomach Cancer

Gastric cancer, also called stomach cancer, originates in the stomach. The most common type of stomach cancer is adenocarcinoma, which begins in the stomach’s inner lining.

Doctors can use advanced endoscopic techniques — a thin, lighted tube with a tiny camera — that is inserted into the body through the mouth to view the throat, esophagus, stomach, and other areas. If patients manage to catch stomach cancer early, treatment is much easier to endure.

WATCH: Understanding stomach cancer risk factors

Symptoms of stomach cancer vary depending on how advanced the cancer is. For early-stage stomach cancer, symptoms may include:

• Bloating after eating
• Indigestion and upset stomach
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite

Symptoms for more advanced stomach cancer may include:

• Unexplained weight loss
• Stomach pain
• Bloody stool
• Vomiting
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
• Difficulty swallowing

While experiencing any of these symptoms does not always mean stomach cancer, if you find yourself dealing with these issues more frequently, contact your doctor for some follow-up tests.

WATCH: How is stomach cancer staged?

“If a physician is suspecting stomach cancer … one of the first simple tests to do is blood work,” Dr. Sofya Pintova, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Mount Sinai Cancer Center in New York City, tells SurvivorNet.

“In the blood work, we are looking for several specific things. We’re looking at the organ function, such as liver function and kidney function, but we’re also looking at the level of red blood cells in the blood. So, if the level of red blood cells is low, that is called anemia. And when someone has a new anemia that cannot be explained for other reasons, obvious reasons like a recent bleeding from the nose, for example, or other types of bleeding, then that warrants an evaluation by a gastroenterologist,” she adds.

Patients may also present with signs or symptoms of distant metastatic (spread) disease. The most common sites of metastatic disease are the liver, the peritoneal surfaces, and the lymph nodes.

Besides blood exams to evaluate anemia, nutritional status, and overall biochemistry, the most important exam is the upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

“If a cancer is found in the stomach, the next step for us as oncologists or surgeons would be staging. And what staging means is we ask ourselves: is the tumor, the cancer still confined only to the stomach, or has it spread to other organs?” Dr. Pintova explains. “So, several tests that we usually do to identify are what’s called radiology tests or imaging that could take the form of computerized tomography scans, PET scans, sometimes MRIs.”

Treating Stomach Cancer

Surgery is often the most critical part of the treatment process for gastric cancer, especially in cases where the disease is localized and has not spread extensively beyond the stomach.

The goal of surgery is to remove the cancer, along with part or all of the stomach, depending on how much the cancer has spread. Surgeons aim to ensure that no cancer cells are left behind, which gives patients the best chance at long-term survival.

RELATED: Surgery for Gastric Cancer: What You Need to Know

WATCH: When is chemo given before surgery?

For patients whose cancer is at an earlier stage, surgery can often be curative. Surgery may still be an option even for patients with more advanced cancer.

Systemic therapies, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy, may also be used. Eligibility for these treatment approaches will depend on several factors, such as the stage of the cancer, the patient’s general health, and the results of biomarker testing.

Stomach cancer patients who are eligible for chemotherapy may receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which means chemo before surgery.  This approach aims to shrink the tumor and improve the chances that it can be completely removed during surgery. By targeting the cancer cells beforehand, the treatment may help make surgery more effective and reduce the risk of cancer returning.

RELATED: What are the Treatment Options for Advanced Gastric Cancer?

“We notice that it’s easier for patients to receive chemotherapy before surgery [rather than after]. So some cancer centers around the U.S. try to offer more chemotherapy before surgery,” Dr. Alan Lima Pereira, a medical oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, tells SurvivorNet.

The neoadjuvant chemotherapy may involve getting chemo every other week, four to six times, before surgery, followed by additional chemotherapy after surgery.

As Woods has expressed, chemotherapy side effects can be harsh on the body.

RELATED: How to Deal With the Side Effects of Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy can cause side effects, including fatigue, nausea, and hair loss. However, these side effects can often be managed.

The side effects experienced from these two chemo approaches varied slightly:

• FLOT Regimen: Patients experienced higher rates of certain side effects like low white blood cell counts (which can increase infection risk), diarrhea, infections, and numbness or tingling in hands and feet.
• Standard Therapy (epirubicin, cisplatin, and fluorouracil – ECF): Patients had higher rates of nausea, vomiting, and blood clots.

Questions To Ask Your Doctor

If you’ve been diagnosed with stomach cancer and are feeling confused about your diagnosis, consider asking your doctor the following questions.

• What stage is my gastric cancer?
• Should I receive chemotherapy before surgery? Why?
• What are the potential side effects of chemotherapy?
• How can I manage the side effects?
• What are the risks and benefits of combining chemotherapy with surgery vs. surgery alone?
• How long will my treatment last?

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