Disparities in Stage at Diagnosis among Hispanic Patients with Gastric Cancer in the United States.

INTRODUCTION

Racial disparities in gastric cancer outcomes, including stage at diagnosis and overall survival, continue to affect Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations. This study aims to evaluate these disparities across different racial groups.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using SEER data from 2018 to 2021, including 18,984 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer. Patients were selected based on ICD-O-3 codes for "stomach" with malignant behavior. Using ordered logistic regression, the association between race and stage at diagnosis was analyzed, while Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess OS and CSS.

RESULTS

Hispanic patients were significantly more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage compared to non-Hispanic patients (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10-1.28). Both Hispanic and Black patients had worse OS compared to Non-Hispanic Whites (HR 1.10 CI 1.03-1.17, = 0.003 and HR 1.13 CI 1.04-1.22, = 0.002, respectively) as well as CSS.

CONCLUSIONS

Hispanic patients are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced-stage gastric cancer and have poorer survival outcomes compared to non-Hispanic Whites. These disparities may be linked to differences in healthcare access, insurance, language barriers, and preventive care utilization.