"Melanoma Concern: Late-Stage Diagnoses More Common Among Hispanic Population" - Bob Kronemyer
Skin health issues in people of Latin American descent can be complicated due to their heterogeneous genetic make-up. In some families, it can include a mix of European, Native American and African heritages. Skin colors within immediate family members can range from very light to brown tones. “Unfortunately, Hispanics do not know that they have a propensity to skin cancer because they think they are immune, due to their darker skin,” said Maritza Pérez, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is seeing more cases of melanoma in her practice and cites statistics showing a 20 percent increase of melanoma cases among Hispanics in the last two decades. The increasing prevalence of a late-stage melanoma diagnosis is particularly alarming to Dr. Perez because these patients are increasingly being diagnosed at a younger age with more advanced disease and lymph node involvement. “The challenge for us as dermatologists is to teach Hispanics and doctors,” said Dr. Perez, who participated in a forum on dermatologic concerns among various ethnic skin types at the Skin of Color Seminar Series
- Maritza Pérez, MD, Clinical Professor, Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
