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Review
. 2024 Nov 23:41:100954.
doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2024.100954. eCollection 2025 Jan.

Shattering the monolith: burden of gastrointestinal cancer in Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States

Ji Yoon Yoon  1 , Shailja C Shah  2   3 , Jenny J Lin  4 , Michelle Kang Kim  5 , Steven H Itzkowitz  1 , Christina P Wang  1
Affiliations
Review

Shattering the monolith: burden of gastrointestinal cancer in Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States

Ji Yoon Yoon et al. Lancet Reg Health Am. .

Abstract

Asian Americans remain the fastest-growing racial group in the United States, and are anticipated to double over the next few decades. Asian Americans are the only major racial-ethnic group for whom cancer remains the leading cause of death, and multiple gastrointestinal cancers rank among the top five incident and fatal cancers. Most research to date presents Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) in aggregate, overlooking their vast heterogeneity and hindering efforts to identify and address health disparities within AANHPI origin groups. Here, we present gastrointestinal cancer incidence and mortality in AANHPI, including disaggregated rates where feasible, and highlight gaps in current screening practices. We conclude with actionable suggestions to shift away from using broad racial categories to evaluate cancer disparities, towards high-quality, disaggregated data to better isolate and address factors driving the clear differential cancer risks among AANHPI.

Keywords: Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander; Colorectal neoplasms; Early detection of cancer; Esophageal neoplasms; Gastrointestinal neoplasms; Health inequities; Liver neoplasms; Pancreatic neoplasms; Stomach neoplasms.

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Conflict of interest statement

These authors disclose the following: SCS is a consultant for Phathom Pharmaceuticals and RedHill Biopharma, and declares leadership/committee roles in the American College of Gastroenterology and American Gastroenterological Association. SHI reports consulting fees from Exact Sciences. The remaining authors report no relevant disclosures or conflicts of interest related to this article.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Disaggregation across the data life cycle.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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