text: A woman's life was saved after her doctor discovered she had stomach cancer during prep for gastric bypass surgery . Rachel Sandridge, 29, from Maryland, says she was shocked at the unexpected diagnosis but thankful to her diligent doctor. Sandridge was due to undergo the surgery after her weight reached 430lbs. Rachel Sandridge, 29, from Maryland, was due to undergo the surgery after her weight reached 430 pounds.. but durring the prep her doctor discovered she had cancer. Pictured: Sandridge (left) before surgery and after . She had to lose weight to qualify for the surgery and then underwent a routine endoscopy, to examine her digestive tract to ensure it was all healthy. But it was during the procedure her doctor was concerned at signs of inflammation and took a biopsy to sample. Sandridge was then told cancer had been found in her stomach. The cancer diagnosis was even more devastating as only two years earlier her father has died from cancer. Pictured, at his funeral in 2012 . Sandridge before the operation. She is now cancer-free and has dropped her weight from about 430lbs to about 288lbs, including about 50lbs before her gastric bypass . Stomach cancer is a relatively rare form of the disease, with fewer than 25,000 cases annually in the US. The early symptoms are vague and easy to mistake for other, less serious conditions. They include: persistent indigestion and heartburn, trapped wind and frequent burping, feeling very full or bloated after meals, persistent stomach pain . As the disease develops, more advanced symptoms include: blood in your stools, or black stools loss of appetite weight loss . In many cases, due to the face the early symptoms are so similar to other conditions, the disease is often advanced by the time it is detected. It is vital people suffering the early symptoms get checked by their doctor as soon as possible. There are different types of stomach cancer - 95 per cent of cases develop in the cells of the stomach lining - known as adenocarcinoma of the stomach. Less common forms of the disease include lymphoma of the stomach, which develops in the lymphatic tissue and gastrointestinal stromal tumours, which develop in the muscle of the stomach wall. Around 15 per cent of stomach cancer patients live at least five years after diagnosis, and around 11 per cent live for 10 years. Source: NHS Choices . Stomach cancer is a relatively rare form of the disease, with fewer than 25,000 cases annually in the US. The early symptoms are vague and easy to mistake for other, less serious conditions. 'It didn't fully click. I was scared and really nervous,' Sandridge told ABC. The news was even more devastating as only two years earlier her father has died from cancer. 'I know the toll it puts on you,' Sandridge said. She underwent a second during which the tumor itself and further cells were scrapped. The tumor was reviewed and Sandridge was told the cancer had been caught at an early state and it had not spread through the muscle wall. Sandridge did not need any chemotherapy or radiation and is now cancer-free. She has dropped her 10 dress sizes and weighs about 288lbs, and has more energy than before. Sandridge has had to adjust her diet following the operation as gastric bypass is a major surgical procedure, which changes eating and dietary habits dramatically. After surgery, the patients can no longer hold large quantities of food, but need to eat smaller amounts at regular intervals. The patients also need to eat in a different way as foods rich in fat, sugar and fibre may cause discomfort in the smaller stomach. 'If I'd not gone through with the [weight loss] surgery when I did, things would be 100 percent different,' she said to the Baltimore Sun. 'My cancer would have probably spread and it would have been too late to have had anything done about it.'
target: Rachel Sandridge, 29, from Maryland, says she was shocked at the unexpected diagnosis but thankful it was discovered .
  Sandridge was due to undergo surgery after her weight reached 430lbs .
  News was even more devastating as only two years earlier her father has died from cancer .
  She is now cancer free and has dropped 10 dress sizes .