Characteristics, rates, and trends of melanoma incidence among Hispanics in the USA.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Descriptive population-based cancer registry study without an internal comparison/control group
PubMed 27021339 · doi:10.1007/s10552-016-0738-1
What was done
Population-based cancer incidence data covering nearly 100% of the US population from the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program were analyzed to examine melanoma incidence rates, anatomic sites, tumor thickness, stage, histology, and temporal trends (2003–2012) among US Hispanics.
What was found
From 2008 to 2012, 6,623 melanoma cases were diagnosed among Hispanics. Incidence rates were higher among males (4.6) than females (4.0), though females younger than 55 had higher rates than age-matched males. Superficial spreading melanoma was the most frequent histologic subtype (23%). Poorer-outcome subtypes—nodular melanoma (NM) and acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM)—and later-stage, thicker tumors were significantly more common in males. Lower limb and hip tumors predominated in females (33.7%), whereas trunk tumors predominated in males (29.9%). Melanoma incidence among Hispanics decreased significantly between 2003 and 2012 (AAPC = -1.4).
Why it matters
It provides national surveillance data showing that Hispanic men disproportionately present with aggressive, thick, and late-stage melanomas, emphasizing the need for targeted clinical and public health awareness.
Limits
The abstract does not specify rate units (e.g., per 100,000 person-years), confidence intervals, or p-values. As a registry-based descriptive study, it does not assess underlying causes for later-stage presentation (such as insurance or access barriers) or report survival and mortality data.
Cited by
- supports A significant number of melanoma cases occur on anatomical sites that do not receive sun exposure, such as the waist, palms, and soles of the feet.