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Sick adult in bed
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Ellen Polite is a digital marketing intern at Artichoke & Company in Bonita Springs, Florida. She balances this position with her academic responsibilities as a marketing major at Florida Gulf Coast University. A member of Zeta Tau Alpha, a philanthropic organization, Ellen Polite has volunteered with such organizations as the American Cancer Society.
Dedicated to freeing the world of cancer, the American Cancer Society routinely completes research into cancer-related issues. Recently, researchers from the organization joined researchers from the Centers for Disease Control to examine mortality rates among black Americans diagnosed with melanoma. To complete their study, the scientists examined diagnosis and survival rates among 1,800 non-Hispanic black Americans and compared those rates to non-Hispanic whites.
The data revealed that non-Hispanic black Americans were most commonly diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM), a type of melanoma that has a low survival rate. In fact, 46 percent of black Americans studied were diagnosed with ALM, while only 2 percent of whites received the same diagnosis.
In terms of mortality, about 90 percent of whites were alive 5 years after being diagnosed with melanoma, while only 66 percent of blacks survived to this point. Survival rates among blacks were also lower when melanoma was diagnosed in the early stages, though it was more common for the condition to be in the later stages once diagnosed in blacks.
Researchers believe this discrepancy is due to poor education among non-Hispanic black Americans regarding the type of melanoma affecting them. Since melanoma seen in black individuals rarely adheres to the asymmetry, border, color, diameter, evolving (ABCDE) guidelines of self-examination, many black Americans aren’t sure what to look for when checking moles. This often delays when they visit a dermatologist, thus giving the condition more time to advance.
Dedicated to freeing the world of cancer, the American Cancer Society routinely completes research into cancer-related issues. Recently, researchers from the organization joined researchers from the Centers for Disease Control to examine mortality rates among black Americans diagnosed with melanoma. To complete their study, the scientists examined diagnosis and survival rates among 1,800 non-Hispanic black Americans and compared those rates to non-Hispanic whites.
The data revealed that non-Hispanic black Americans were most commonly diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM), a type of melanoma that has a low survival rate. In fact, 46 percent of black Americans studied were diagnosed with ALM, while only 2 percent of whites received the same diagnosis.
In terms of mortality, about 90 percent of whites were alive 5 years after being diagnosed with melanoma, while only 66 percent of blacks survived to this point. Survival rates among blacks were also lower when melanoma was diagnosed in the early stages, though it was more common for the condition to be in the later stages once diagnosed in blacks.
Researchers believe this discrepancy is due to poor education among non-Hispanic black Americans regarding the type of melanoma affecting them. Since melanoma seen in black individuals rarely adheres to the asymmetry, border, color, diameter, evolving (ABCDE) guidelines of self-examination, many black Americans aren’t sure what to look for when checking moles. This often delays when they visit a dermatologist, thus giving the condition more time to advance.
