RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN MELANOMA DIAGNOSIS AND SURVIVAL, 2004 - 2018
Two research letters to the editor published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (Fernandez et al., 2023) reveal racial and ethnic differences in U.S. populations diagnosed with “invasive primary cutaneous melanoma.” The analyses were conducted using 2004 to 2018 case data obtained from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Below are research findings reported in the studies:
Male Cases (n=205,125)1:
Racial and ethnic representation of males diagnosed with melanoma: White - 97.6%, Hispanic - 1.5%, Black - 0.5%, Asian - 0.3%, American Indian/Alaska Native - 0.1%.
48.6% of Black males represented nearly half of advanced melanoma diagnosis cases (Stage III or IV), followed by Hispanic - 39.6%, Asian - 37.6%, American Indian/Alaska Native - 29.1%, and White males - 21.1%. These are combined percentages of Stage III and IV diagnosis cases.
5-year melanoma survival rates were lowest for Black males at 51.7%, whereas White males had a much higher 5-year survival rate at 75.1%. The 5-year survival rates of other racial and ethnic groups were as follows: American Indians/Alaska Native - 68.5%, Asian - 67.6%, Hispanic - 66.2%.
Female Cases (n=163,316)2:
Racial and ethnic representation of females diagnosed with melanoma: White – 96.9%, Hispanic - 1.7%, Black - 0.9%, Asian - 0.4%, American Indian/Alaska Native - 0.1%.
Black females had the lowest rate, 35.4%, of being diagnosed with early-stage melanoma (Stage I), followed by Asian - 49.6%, Hispanic - 50.7%, American Indian/Alaska Native – 58.7%, and White females – 69.0%.
Black women had the lowest 5-year melanoma survival rate at 65.0%, whereas White females had a much higher survival rate at 84.7%. The survival rates of other racial and ethnic groups were as follows: American Indians/Alaska Native – 81.1%, Hispanic – 78.8%, Asian – 75.2%.
Why is it important to understand population differences in cancer data?
Some groups of people experience higher burdens of cancer, which is often related to detection of later-stage disease and results in more extensive and costly treatment, worse quality of life, and poorer survival outcomes. Various solutions to identify disparities and diminish the burdens of cancer are being studied. The differences in health are also known as “health disparities.”
The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology provides open access to select articles. You can view the research letters to the editor by downloading the full journal publications - Volume 89, Issue 4 and Volume 88, Issue 3.
RACHEL MESIA is a contributing writer of WOM-California Gazette and staff member of the Office of Cancer Health Equity at Stanford Cancer Institute.
Research data sources:
Fernandez, J.M., Mata, E.M., Bubic, B.N., Kwan, K.R., Whitley, M.J. and Wysong, A., 2023. Racial and ethnic differences in males with melanoma: A retrospective cohort study of 205,125 cases from the National Cancer Database. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 89(4), pp.828-832, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2023.05.080.
Fernandez, J.M., Bubic, B.N., Dahak, S., Mata, E.M., Kwan, K.R., Sutton, A., Whitley, M.J. and Wysong, A., 2023. Racial and ethnic differences in tumor characteristics and overall survival of women with melanoma: A national cancer database retrospective cohort study. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 88(3), pp.694-696, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2022.07.036.