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It is a full circle for Katy Kosyachkova.
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In 2011 at the age of 21, Kosyachkova was diagnosed with gastric cancer and was treated at the University Health Network’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
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Now she is a physician assistant at the same hospital working on a new clinical trial for gastric cancer and treating other patients.
Kosyachkova is now a 12-year stomach cancer survivor, too. The average metastatic gastric cancer patient will live up to 12 months.
While Kosyachkova had cancer, she co-founded My Gut Feeling, a support network offered in affiliation with the Stomach Cancer Foundation of Canada.
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The volunteer organization advocated to the government for a National Stomach Cancer Awareness Day, which is now held every year on Nov. 30.
The organization has held annual conferences in November, bringing together the top scientists and health professionals focused on gastric cancer to create more scientific awareness of research and treatments.
“My job lets me treat patients. My passion is advocacy. I do a lot of talks on survivorship and educate physicians on how to improve their practice by bridging my patient and clinician experiences,” said Kosyachkova.
“Being diagnosed at such a young age changed my identity. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. Once I got done with my treatment, I knew I wanted to be involved in health care. It called to me.”
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The Canadian Institutes of Health Research recently announced the recipients of the Clinical Trials Fund.
The Canadian Cancer Trials Group and study lead Dr. Elena Elimova at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre were granted more than $3.7 million over three years to study the cancer.
Working together, Kosyachkova and Elimova have become great friends.
“I hope this trial will help to provide a new and potentially better option for patients with gastroesophageal cancer disease in Canada,” said Elimova, who is also a gastrointestinal oncologist at the hospital.
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Kosyachkova and Elimova said that more awareness is needed for stomach cancer, as its on the rise in young people.
The National Cancer Institute said that gastric cancer is a cancer that starts in the cells lining the stomach. Some risk factors for stomach cancer, like tobacco use, can be changed, the institute said, but other factors also include things people cannot change, like their age and family history.
The cancer is hard to detect early on, the institute said, but symptoms may include indigestion and stomach discomfort, a bloated feeling after eating, mild nausea, loss of appetite and heartburn. Symptoms of advanced cancer include blood in the stool, weight loss for no known reason, stomach pain, jaundice and trouble swallowing.
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