Disparities in melanoma survival in Asian American and Pacific Islander patients: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program-based analysis

Although Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) patients are at lower risk for developing melanoma compared to non-Hispanic white (NHW) populations, Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have worse survival after melanoma diagnosis compared to non-Hispanic white (NHW) populations.

The authors analyzed histologically confirmed cases of cutaneous melanoma in AAPI patients and NHW patients in the specialized Detailed Asian/Pacific Islander Groups Database of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program (1992-2022). Cox proportional hazard ratios were utilized to evaluate the association of race and stage on melanoma-specific mortality; hazard ratios were calculated for AAPI patients with NHW patients as the reference group.

AAPI patients experience later-stage diagnosis and increased melanoma-specific mortality. Survival disparities remained after adjusting for stage of diagnosis and were present even when AAPI patients were diagnosed at early stages of melanoma.