Melanoma Mortality Disparities in Transitioning Countries: Why Diagnosis Matters

Many transitioning countries have a low number of melanoma cases, but they often experience a disproportionate amount of melanoma deaths, particularly in regions such as Asia and Africa. This may be due to higher case fatality rates. A cohort study conducted by Zheng et al 1 on Asians and Pacific Islanders, who have a lower risk of developing melanoma than Whites, found that these groups have a lower overall and disease-specific survival rate than Whites. This is primarily due to delayed diagnosis and treatment.