A Gastric Cancer Prevention Program for Aboriginal People Living in the Remote Areas

Owing to the continuing gap in cancer burden between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, reducing health disparities has drawn worldwide attention. Evidence indicates that the gastric cancer incidence and mortality rates in Indigenous peoples are much higher than those of non-Indigenous counterparts living in the same areas. Exposure to more risk factors from social habits, lifestyle, and Helicobacter pylori infection has been considered the cause. However, even though gastric cancer has been repeatedly shown to be preventable by eliminating risk factors, eradication policies are rarely designed for Indigenous peoples. Possible obstacles may include the lack of Indigenous health statistics, inadequate access to care, difficulty in modifying social habits and lifestyles, and the presence of environmental and cultural barriers. Developing and implementing a preventive strategy following the evidence-based principle remains a challenge.

In Taiwan, the number of Indigenous peoples has grown; however, their life expectancy remains substantially lower than that of the non-Indigenous population. Cancer is the most prevalent cause of death for Indigenous peoples and a disproportionate prevalence of certain kinds of cancer is noted for Indigenous peoples. These observations provide an opportunity to establish a plan of action, in which a specific intervention is developed to decrease the threat from each specific cancer so that the overall disparate burden can be reduced in a stepwise manner.