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Soo Park, MD
Soo Park, MD
Posted: Friday, April 19, 2024
Despite being associated with more advanced melanoma diagnoses, rural residency may constitute a protective factor against melanoma mortality among American Indian and Hispanic populations, according to the results of a New Mexican study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 (Abstract 806/11). In addition, John R. Durkin, MD, of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, and colleagues reported that lower patient income also correlated with later-stage diagnoses and that overall mortality has declined since 2012 in contrast with a slight rise in diagnoses.
A total of 3,979 patients with histologically confirmed melanoma diagnosed between 2010 and 2017 were included in the retrospective study, drawn from the New Mexico Tumor Registry (NMTR) within the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. The highest incidence of melanoma was observed among non-Hispanic White patients (n = 3,617, P < .001), whereas Hispanic White patients and American Indian patients were more likely to be diagnosed at later stages. The investigators reported that 19.2% of American Indian patients were diagnosed at stage III, compared with 3.9% of non-Hispanic White patients and 10.3% of Hispanic White patients (P < .001).
The researchers also reported advanced-stage diagnoses were more likely in rural areas (P < .001) and per capita income and stage of diagnosis were inversely related (P < .001). They observed increased mortality among males, individuals older than 50, and American Indians (all P < 0.05), and reported a mortality hazard ratio (HR) of 0.37 among rural American Indian or Hispanic patients (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.15–0.89). Finally, their sensitivity analyses revealed that rural residence among American Indian/Hispanic individuals was associated with a lower risk of melanoma-specific mortality (HR = 0.37; P = .026 in inclusive analysis; HR = 0.36; P = .025 excluding in situ cases).
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
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