Unmasking inequalities in gastrointestinal cancer outcomes among Asian American subpopulations
Scientific Reports, 2026
This study analyzed gastrointestinal (GI) cancer mortality among Asian American subpopulations compared to white patients from 2018 to 2023 using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER). Among 425,162 deaths in Asian Americans, 34,167 were due to GI cancers (proportional mortality [PM]=8.0%), compared to 713,638 GI cancer deaths among 14,066,027 total deaths in white patients (PM=5.1%, p<.001). The largest disparities were observed for stomach and hepatobiliary cancers in both men and women. Anal cancer was the only GI cancer with lower PMs in Asian Americans versus white patients. These findings underscore the need for culturally competent strategies to tailor screening and prevention to the unique risk profiles of Asian American subpopulations.
Recommended citation: Wang CC, Ali D, Habib DRS, Shou M, Sun K, Rogers JL, Eng C, Magge D, Zafar SN, Khan A. Unmasking inequalities in gastrointestinal cancer outcomes among Asian American subpopulations. Sci Rep. 2026. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-33389-6