N Z Med J. 2026 Mar 27;139(1632):44-70. doi: 10.26635/6965.7181.
ABSTRACT
AIM: Gastric cancer incidence and mortality are higher among Māori compared with non-Māori. Here we address a gap in the literature by examining changes in gastric cancer survival over time, and how this varies by socio-demographic factors among Māori and non-Māori over two decades.
METHODS: Records in the New Zealand Cancer Registry (NZCR) for Māori (N=1,452) and non-Māori (N=6,402) diagnosed with gastric cancer between 2002 and 2021 were linked to death and socio-demographic data within Stats NZ Tatauranga Aotearoa’s Integrated Data Infrastructure. Gastric cancer survival was examined among Māori and non-Māori by age, sex, socio-economic deprivation and rurality over the 2002-2017 (gastric cancer-caused mortality) or 2002-2021 (all-cause mortality) period, and by 5-year periods. Clinical characteristics and data missingness by diagnosis year were also documented.
RESULTS: There was ethnic inequity in gastric cancer mortality in all time periods but this disparity appeared smaller in more recent periods, particularly for 1-year age-standardised mortality. Differences in mortality rates by socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were minimal. Higher risk of mortality from gastric cancer for Māori compared with non-Māori was most pronounced for those aged 45-64 years. There were no clear trends in survival across different diagnosis periods for other socio-economic characteristics.
CONCLUSION: Mortality risk was higher for Māori compared with non-Māori with gastric cancer diagnoses between 2002 and 2021. However, age-standardised rate ratios between Māori and non-Māori were lowest in more recent years.
PMID:41886685 | DOI:10.26635/6965.7181
