Conference Abstracts - Summit on Cancer Health Disparities (SCHD26)
Vol. 6, Issue Supplement 1, 2026 · S1-2
Demographic, Racial and Geographic Disparities in Mortality and Place of Death Among Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancers: A National Population-Based Study
Akshee Batra, MD, MBBS,Akshit Chitkara, MBBS,Chinmay Jani, MD,Abhinav Vyas, MBBS,Palash Asawa, MBBS,Priya Chattopadhyay, MD,Daniel Tuerff, MD,Peter Joel Hosein, MD,Gilberto Lopes, MD,Aman Chauhan, MBBS, MD
Submission received: 2025-12-15 / Accepted: 2026-01-07 / Published: 2026-02-14
Abstract
Objective
To quantify national sociodemographic disparities in mortality and place of death among gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients.
Methods
We utilized the CDC WONDER database from 2018-2023, using C15–C26 code as per International Classification of Diseases 10 classification. By including GI cancer cases 15 years and older, we assessed mortality trends by race, age, sex, region and place of death. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using logistic regression to evaluate the association with place of death.
Results
Among the 986,900 GI cancer deaths, 81.8% Whites, 12.7% Blacks and 4.1% Asians. Overall, the GI cancer Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 60.8 per 100,000 was observed. CDR was higher in older individuals, males and Whites. West Virginia had the highest CDR (65.0) and Utah the lowest (28.9). The most common place of death was home (50.6%), followed by inpatient medical facility (21.1%). Table shows that Blacks and Asians had higher odds of dying in a medical facility and lower odds at home or nursing facility compared to Whites. Younger patients had higher odds of dying in a medical facility. Males had a higher likelihood of dying in a medical facility and females had higher odds of dying in a nursing home, hospice facility or at home.
Conclusion
Compared with Whites, Black and Asian GI cancer patients die more in hospitals and less at home or nursing facilities; Asians also underuse hospice. Disparities in race and younger men underscore the need for earlier, culturally responsive and expanded palliative care services.