Gastric Cancer: Daniel's Patient Story
This gastric cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Biomarkers
- BRAC2 mutation
- Sex
- Male
- Treatment
- chemotherapy, surgery and radiation
- Outcome
- Care Ongoing
Treatment course, step by step
- Received 3 rounds of chemotherapy.
- Underwent partial gastrectomy removing most of the stomach and surrounding lymph nodes.
- Received another 3 rounds of chemotherapy.
- After a local recurrence, received radiation in 2020 before surgery.
- Underwent total gastrectomy removing the remaining stomach, spleen and portions of the colon and pancreas.
What happened, in summary
Daniel ‘Joe’ Einspahr noticed a persistent sensation of hunger in 2018 that did not improve after eating. An endoscopy showed stomach cancer, interrupting a multi-year cross-country bicycle trip he had been completing with his son.
Joe received 3 rounds of chemotherapy, had a partial gastrectomy that removed most of his stomach and surrounding lymph nodes, and then completed another 3 rounds of chemotherapy. The cancer later returned in the remaining stomach. In 2020, he went to MD Anderson, received radiation and then had surgery to remove the rest of his stomach, along with his spleen and portions of his colon and pancreas. Genetic testing also identified a BRAC2 mutation.
By summer 2021, Joe was cycling long distances again and had returned to full-time work. He continued follow-up scans every 6 months while adapting his nutrition to life without a stomach and planning the final leg of the bicycle journey with his family.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by MD Anderson. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer