FREMONT, Calif., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Scientists at the Cancer
Prevention Institute of California (CPIC), Stanford University,
and the University of Southern California/Keck School of Medicine
have found that while Hispanics have much lower risks of developing
melanoma than non-Hispanic whites in California, they develop the
disease at younger ages, develop thicker tumors, which are more
difficult to treat, and experience a higher percentage of cases
among people living in poorer neighborhoods.

Just published in the journal Cancer, this finding
follows a
2009 CPIC finding that melanoma rates are increasing in all
socioeconomic and racial/ethnic groups nationally, and points to
the need for prevention efforts tailored to Hispanics, who
represent 36% of California’s population.

The recent statewide study examined the importance of
socioeconomic status in relation to melanoma incidence and tumor
subtype and location among Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites.
 Using data from the California Cancer Registry, the
scientists investigated characteristics of cases for all 4,607
Hispanics and 83,859 non-Hispanic whites diagnosed with malignant
melanoma of the skin in California from 1988 to 2007.

“These data are important evidence that messages around melanoma
awareness and prevention may need to be tailored specifically to
Hispanic populations in California,” said Dr.
Christina Clarke, a coauthor of the study.  “We are
clearly seeing the worst kinds of melanoma — the thick tumors
that have spread and are likely to be
deadly—disproportionately among Hispanic men, especially
those living in poorer neighborhoods.”  

For more information about the findings and what the study’s
authors suggest regarding prevention messages and awareness
among

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