Brenda A. Shoo, MD, and Mohammed Kashani-Sabet, MD
This review highlights melanoma trends observed among African-, Asian-, Latino- and Native-American populations. Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer, accounting for about 75% of all skin cancer deaths. Generally, incidence rates increase with age, peak after age 40, and are greater in men than women. However, these trends do not reflect what is typically seen in minority ethnic groups, where incidence rates are lower. In addition, for some groups, relative disease-specific survival also is lower compared with European-Americans. Melanomas in minority populations also tend to appear in atypical locations and are of unclear etiology. To improve our understanding of the causes of melanoma arising in ethnic minority populations future research efforts are needed. In addition, the general lack of awareness of this disease entity among minority populations and the fact that certain ethnic groups tend to present with advanced disease further highlight the need for educational programs for both patients and health care professionals.
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