Although more than 95% of melanomas are diagnosed in white and light-skinned people, the incidence of melanoma among Latinos has increased at an annual rate of 2.9% in the last 15 years, which is about the same as the 3% annual increase among whites. What’s worse, they are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage of the disease, which unfortunately results in a much lower survival rate.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer among Hispanics.
Melanoma in people of color is often missed until later stages for several reasons. First, the lesions can look different, or be harder to see, on darker skin. Second, melanoma in darker-skinned people Hispanics develop more commonly on the palms, soles of the feet, toenails, fingernails, and in mucus membranes such as around the mouth and genitals. In lighter-skinned Hispanics, melanomas more frequently appear on the back in men and on the legs in women. Third, studies show that Hispanics and other people of color are screened for skin cancer less frequently than are white non-Hispanics. Finally, the relative rarity of skin cancer in the non-white population simply fools some doctors into thinking a lesion is something else besides melanoma.
Not surprisingly, darker-skinned individuals perceive themselves as having low or no risk for melanoma, as much of the public education efforts have targeted the white populations, especially those with blue eyes and blond or red hair. While it is true that their risk is much lower, sun safe practices (such as wearing sunscreen) and annual skin exams should still not be ignored. The fact is, nobody is immune to skin cancer.
