Migration-Informed Strategies for Gastric Cancer Prevention in the United States: Closing the Equity Gap

Gastric cancer remains an overlooked source of inequity in U.S. cancer prevention policy. Immigrant and underserved populations from East Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and other high-incidence regions face markedly elevated rates of non-cardia gastric adenocarcinoma, yet remain outside the scope of national screening and eradication programs. This commentary calls for a migration-informed approach to gastric cancer prevention, emphasizing early-life Helicobacter pylori exposure, structural inequities, and the policy inertia that sustains avoidable disparities. Drawing on lessons from hepatitis B and colorectal cancer prevention, a multisectoral framework-linking academic centers, community organizations, and federal policy-can operationalize targeted testing, awareness, and surveillance. The recently introduced Stomach Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Act represents a historic step toward national recognition of gastric cancer as a preventable disease of equity concern. By reframing gastric cancer through a structural and immigrant health lens, the United States can begin to align research, funding, and prevention infrastructure with the populations most affected.