Disparities in Gastric Cancer Care Linked to Neighborhood Socioeconomic Trajectories

Strategic Insights -

Historical discriminatory policies, such as residential redlining, and current socioeconomic status can significantly impact gastrointestinal (GI) cancer care, resulting in disparities in diagnosis and treatment. A recent study conducted by researchers from Ohio State University investigated how evolving neighborhood characteristics affect the diagnosis and treatment of GI cancer. The findings suggest that individuals living in disadvantaged neighborhoods are less likely to undergo surgery, receive chemotherapy, and achieve positive outcomes following surgery.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study analyzed data from 15,118 individuals with GI cancer, using the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database.
  • Neighborhood socioeconomic trajectories were categorized as advantaged stable, advantaged reduced, disadvantaged stable, and disadvantaged reduced, with 30.5% of individuals living in advantaged stable neighborhoods and 22.1% living in disadvantaged stable neighborhoods.
  • Individuals living in disadvantaged stable neighborhoods were less likely to undergo surgery (55.8% vs. 59.2%), receive chemotherapy (56.7% vs. 60.3%), and achieve a textbook outcome following surgery (41.3% vs. 51.3%) compared to those living in advantaged stable neighborhoods.
  • The researchers found an association between neighborhood trajectory and stage at diagnosis, cancer-directed treatment, and surgical outcomes, suggesting that targeted interventions and policies are needed to address structural inequities and ensure health equity.
  • The study concludes that there is an urgent need for policies to address the root causes of these disparities and ensure access to equitable healthcare.

Statistics:

  • 15,118 individuals with GI cancer were included in the study, with 30.5% (n = 4608) living in advantaged stable neighborhoods and 22.1% (n = 3335) living in disadvantaged stable neighborhoods.
  • Individuals living in disadvantaged stable neighborhoods were less likely to undergo surgery (55.8% vs. 59.2%).
  • The study found that individuals living in disadvantaged stable neighborhoods were also less likely to receive chemotherapy (56.7% vs. 60.3%) and achieve a textbook outcome following surgery (41.3% vs. 51.3%).

Sources:

  • NewsRx. Researchers at Ohio State University Report New Data on Gastric Cancer (Impact of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Trajectories On Gastrointestinal Cancer Care: a Seer-medicare Analysis). Cancer Weekly. July 29, 2025; p 60.
  • Annals of Surgical Oncology. Impact of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Trajectories On Gastrointestinal Cancer Care: a Seer-medicare Analysis. Annals of Surgical Oncology, 2025.