TOPLINE:

Age-adjusted mortality rates for gastric cancer in the US declined sharply between 1999 and 2022, but significant disparities persisted, particularly among men, older adults, and certain racial and ethnic groups.

METHODOLOGY:

• Despite global declines in gastric cancer incidence, the disease still accounts for 1.6% of new cancer cases in the US (95% adenocarcinomas) and approximately $142 billion in annual healthcare costs, highlighting the need to understand mortality trends and disparities.
• Researchers analyzed death certificate data in the CDC’s WONDER database to assess gastric cancer mortality trends and demographic patterns across the US from 1999 to 2022.
• The study included adults aged 25 years or older whose death certificates listed stomach cancer as the underlying or a contributing cause of death.
• Mortality trends were assessed as age-adjusted rates per million people and stratified by sex, race or ethnicity, age group, urbanization status, and US census region.

TAKEAWAY:

• Age-adjusted mortality rates for gastric cancer significantly declined from 1999 to 2022 (79.26 vs 44.81 per million), with the steepest decrease observed from 1999 to 2006 (annual percentage change, -3.51).
• Non-Hispanic Black or African American populations had the highest mortality rates (109.37 per million), whereas non-Hispanic White populations had the lowest (44.85).
• From 1999 to 2022, men consistently had higher mortality rates than women (81.14 vs 42.10 per million); by age group, older adults (65-85+ years) had the highest mortality rates (202.46 per million), followed by middle-aged and young adults (60.58 and 40.55 per million, respectively).
• Regionally, the Northeast (64.78 per million) and West (63.55) had the highest mortality rates, and metropolitan areas consistently reported higher rates than nonmetropolitan areas.

IN PRACTICE:

“Despite declining mortality, persistent disparities highlight the need for targeted screening in high-risk groups (older adults, males, and [non-Hispanic] Black/Asian populations) and improved resource allocation in high-burden regions,” the authors of the study wrote. “To lower the burden of [gastric cancer], it is necessary to establish a national, population-based screening program and prevention strategy.”

SOURCE:

This study was led by Muhammad Faizan, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar, and Arkadeep Dhali, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, England. It was published online in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology.

LIMITATIONS:

Reliance on death certificates and International Classification of Diseases codes may have introduced reporting errors. Key data were unavailable, including vital signs, laboratory results, genetic analyses, treatments, and baseline comorbidities. The lack of socioeconomic and educational data limited the ability to evaluate how these factors influence access to care and health outcomes.

DISCLOSURES:

No funding was reported for this study. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.