ASO Author Reflections: Impact of Historical Redlining and Neighborhood Trajectories on Gastrointestinal Cancer Care

Socioeconomic and racial disparities in cancer care have long been recognized; to date, most studies have examined neighborhood conditions using either historical or current indicators in isolation. 1Residential redlining-originating in the 1930s-systematically excluded minority populations from homeownership and investment, shaping patterns of disadvantage that persist today. 1 More recently, indices such as the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) have been used to assess current socioeconomic stressors at the community level. 2 The interaction of past discriminatory policies and present-day social vulnerability affects cancer care remains not well examined, however.The current study sought to integrate historical redlining maps with contemporary SVI data to better understand how neighborhood trajectories influence gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes.