Racial Disparities in Melanoma Survival Rates Sound Alarm for Black Men

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA

Newswire Senior National Correspondent

A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD) revealed that Black men face a significantly higher risk of death from melanoma compared to other racial groups. The findings, released this week, shed new light on the urgent need to address the racial disparities in melanoma outcomes. The study analyzed a vast dataset of 205,125 male patients diagnosed with cutaneous invasive melanoma between 2004 and 2018, sourced from the National Cancer Database. Researchers said they uncovered distressing statistics. Among the various racial groups studied, Black men exhibited the lowest fiveyear survival rate at a mere 51.7%. In contrast, white men showed the highest survival rate at 75.1%. Although white men are more prone to developing melanoma, the study emphasized that Black individuals face a 26% higher risk of death than their white counterparts. According to the National Library of Medicine, cutaneous melanoma, the most aggressive and fatal form of skin cancer originating from pigment-producing cells, poses a grave threat to individuals across all races. While gender and race influence survival rates among people diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma, the specific impact of race among men remained unclear until this study. The researchers said they sought to fill the knowledge gap and shed light on race’s role in men’s melanoma outcomes. Although the study did not pinpoint the exact factors contributing to the increased mortality risk for Black men with melanoma, it did reveal that they were less likely to have private insurance coverage. Additionally, men were generally less inclined to seek medical care than women, potentially leading to delayed diagnoses and treatment. Ashley Wysong, the chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a coauthor of the study, emphasized that even after accounting for later stages of diagnosis, men still exhibited worse overall survival rates than women with melanoma. Wysong said the finding suggests the presence of unmeasured social, genetic, tumor-specific, and potentially biological factors, such as hormonal influences and variations in immune system responses to melanoma tumors. Additionally, the study highlighted the challenges individuals with darker skin tones face, as they often mistake melanoma for other skin conditions, leading to delays in seeking care and receiving definitive treatment. The JAAD study also found melanoma-related disparities among Black women, who demonstrated the highest percentage of tumors in the lower extremities, encompassing the legs, ankles, and feet. Wysong strongly recommended that individuals consult a board-certified dermatologist if they notice any new, bleeding, or non-healing skin lesions. She expressed

The findings, released this week, shed new light on the urgent need to address the racial disparities in melanoma outcomes.

GA City Pays $600,000 to Settle White Officers ‘Race Discrimination’ Suit

COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) –– A Georgia city is paying $600,000 to settle claims that a Black former police chief racially discriminated against two white officers by not promoting them. Dowe and Litle alleged that former Police Chief Freddie Blackmon, who was pushed into retirement earlier this year by city officials, broke federal law when Blackmon passed over them. They also alleged that the city`s affirmative action plan, which called for employees to meet the racial makeup of the Columbus area, was “faciallyDowe,discriminatory.” president of the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, had a role in Blackmon`s ouster, testifying before the Columbus City Council in 2022 that a union survey showed officers lacked confidence in Blackmon.

The city paid Blackmon $400,000 to retire. The city`s second Black chief at one point demanded $850,000 and threatening to sue the city for racial discrimination.

Columbus saw officers leave the force even as it recorded a record 70 homicides in 2021. Killings have since fallen. The department polices all of Muscogee County under Columbus’ consolidated city-county government.

The suit alleged that when Blackmon became chief in 2020, he avoided promoting five white captains into open command positions and instead changed the rules to allow him to promote lieutenants, giving him a pool with more Black people eligible for promotion.

The changes also meant that a 2018 list of people eligible to be promoted to captain, which included Dowe and Litle, expired. People seeking promotion were required to take a new test, and Dowe and Litle were classified as “highly recommended for promotion,” which under city rules meant Blackmon was supposed to promote them to captain before people with lower evaluations.

But Dowe and Litle said Blackmon, after changing the rules, promoted every eligible Black person and woman. While some white men were also promoted, Dowe and Litle said they were unfairly passed over in favor of people with less experience and worse disciplinary records.

Mayor Skip Henderson told WRBL-TV that Dowe and Litle will remain on the police force.

hope that this research will serve as a foundation for future studies to determine the root causes of the survival rate gaps and develop strategies to bridge these disparities. “We hope our research can lay the foundation for future studies to determine why there’s such a gap in survival rates and to make headway to reduce these survival rate gaps,” she told NBC News.