Cancer fear siblings’ stomachs removed
ON SALE TODAY 9AM ON SALE TODAY 9AM Hits and Misses TOUR BY MARTIN FRICKER reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk THREE siblings had their stomachs removed after tests showed they carry a cancer gene that killed their mother and sister.
Tahir Khan, 44, Sophia Ahmed, 39, and Omar Khan, 27, were warned they were at risk of developing cancer at any time and could die without the radical surgery.
Their mum Pearl Khan died, aged 49, from stomach cancer in 2002, six months after being diagnosed.
Her daughter Yasmin had the same illness and died in 2012, aged 32.
Sophia discovered the rare cancer was genetic while reading her sister’s medical notes in hospital.
She and her three surviving siblings decided to undergo tests to find out if they had the faulty gene.
Sophia, Tahir and Omar, of Walsall, Staffordshire, were confirmed as carriers.
Their sister Tracy Ismail, 49, got the all-clear.
Sophia had a gastrectomy first, followed by Tahir and Oman.
She has since given birth to her fifth child.
Doctors discovered Tahir had clusters of cancerous cells in his stomach lining.
He said: “I could have had only days, weeks, maybe a year maximum left before I would have been diagnosed with terminal cancer.”
Omar said: “It was a really hard decision but the best one I’ve ever made.”
Tahir’s daughter Farah, 21, has since tested positive for the gene and is now deciding whether to have the same surgery.
During a gastrectomy, the stomach is removed and the gullet is connected to the small intestine.
Patients still have a working digestive system although it doesn’t function as well as before.
Sophia said: “In comparison to having stomach cancer and a few years to live, I can’t complain.”