Increased skin cancer screenings may not reduce disparities in the survival rates of patients with melanoma who have darker skin tones, according to a recent study published by Smith et al in JAMA Dermatology. Investigators analyzed data on 60,680 patients who self-identified as Hispanic, Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian, Black, or Pacific Islander. Among the study participants, 21% (n = 12,738) underwent skin cancer screenings, and 79% (n = 47,942) did not.
After a follow-up of 5 years, the investigators found that eight patients developed melanoma—only one of which was detected during a screening visit. The additional four and three instances of melanoma were identified by health-care professionals during other types of visits and by the patients or their family members, respectively. To detect one melanoma case among racial and ethnic minority patients, the investigators noted that more than 12,000 screenings would need to be performed. For comparison, the number of screenings needed to screen White patients would be 373.