Gastric cancer rates high among certain ethnic groups aged 50 years or older
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Investigators found differences in incidence of gastric adenocarcinoma in specific anatomic sites among certain racial and ethnic groups aged 50 years and older, according to results published in Gastroenterology.
“We specifically chose to analyze individuals aged 50 years and older since this is the age group for whom average-risk colorectal cancer screening and high-risk esophageal cancer screening is recommended,” Shailja C. Shah, MD, MPH, from the division of gastroenterology at Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Health System and the division of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, told Healio Gastroenterology. “Unfortunately, even though certain ethnic groups have rates of gastric cancer that even exceed colorectal cancer, and even though gastric cancer is more common than esophageal cancer, screening for gastric cancer does not yet occur in the United States among high-risk groups.”
Shah and colleagues assessed California Cancer Registry data between 2011 and 2015 and estimated incidences of gastric adenocarcinoma in anatomic sites of non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and seven Asian American populations. The difference between “non-white” groups and non-Hispanic white participants were calculated.
Results showed “non-white” groups had significantly higher incidences of noncardia gastric adenocarcinoma compared with non-Hispanic white participants. Further, the incidence was highest in Korean American men aged older than 50 years. The risk for noncardia gastric adenocarcinoma was 1.8-fold (95% CI, 1.37–2.31) to 7.3-fold (95% CI, 5.73–9.19) higher in “non-white” groups and 12-fold (95% CI, 9.96–14.6) to 14.5-fold (95% CI, 12.5–16.9) higher in Korean American men and women aged over 50 years, respectively, compared with non-Hispanic white participants aged 50 years or older. All “non-white” men, apart from Japanese American and Korean American men, had a significantly lower risk for cardia gastric adenocarcinoma compared with non-Hispanic white men aged 50 years or older.
“We are hopeful that the findings of this study will break the inertia surrounding gastric cancer screening,” Shah said.
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