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The incidence of gastric cancer has declined in Western countries, and the 5-year survival rate for early-stage disease is approximately 75% in the U.S. In the absence of structured screening programs, however, most Americans are diagnosed with the disease only when it is already at an advanced stage.
A new study of gastric adenocarcinoma, the most common and aggressive subtype, found that the state where patients live as well as their racial/ethnic heritage also play a key role in disease stage at diagnosis and survival outcomes.
The analysis of 2010-2019 data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program 22 version covering 22 cancer registries in seven states with large Asian and Hispanic populations (representing about 48% of the U.S. population) showed striking racial and geographic disparities in gastric cancer incidence, stage at diagnosis, and survival outcomes. Diagnosis in these states was made predominantly at the distant stage, with a 5-year survival rate of 26%, reported Chul S. Hyun, MD, PhD, MPH, of Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues.
"These findings underscore the need for risk-informed screening and early detection efforts, particularly in underserved and high-risk populations," the researchers wrote in JCO Oncology Advances. "This is particularly concerning, given recent increases in gastric cancer incidence among adults younger than 50 years."
