Giving Compass' Take:
- Researchers examine how Black patients are more likely to have advanced melanoma when first seen by a doctor than their white counterparts.
- How is this a result of racism in the medical system? How can improved physician training help the prognosis of Black patients?
- Read more about racial equity and healthcare.
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Melanoma in African Americans is rare, and the diagnosis is often delayed, leading to advanced presentation and poor prognosis.
The purpose of this retrospective study is to determine whether African American patients diagnosed with melanoma at the Washington Hospital Center were initially seen with more advanced disease than white patients.
A retrospective chart review was performed on 36 African American patients who were diagnosed and/or treated for melanoma at the Washington Hospital Center between 1981 and 2000. Data obtained included patient age at presentation, sex, Breslow's depth and histologic subtype, stage at presentation, and tumor location. These data were compared with information obtained from white patients with melanoma during this period.
Read the full article about melanoma in African Americans at the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.