Comparison of stage at diagnosis of melanoma among Hispanic, black, and white patients in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Objective: To compare stage at diagnosis of melanoma between non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic patients.

Design: Retrospective analysis.

Setting: Melanoma cases reported to the Florida Cancer Data System, with known stage and race/ethnicity information, for residents of Miami-Dade County, Florida, from 1997 to 2002.

Patients: Those diagnosed as having melanoma according to the Florida Cancer Data System.

Main Outcome Measure: Stage of melanoma at diagnosis.

Results: Of the 1690 melanoma cases reported with both stage and race/ethnicity information, 1176 (70%) were among non-Hispanic white patients, 485 (29%) were among Hispanic patients of any race, and 29 (2%) were among non-Hispanic black patients. Late-stage (regional and distant) diagnosis was more common among Hispanic (26%) and non-Hispanic black patients (52%) compared with non-Hispanic white patients (16%) (P < .001).

Conclusion: Advanced stage of melanoma diagnosis among Hispanic and black patients suggests suboptimal secondary prevention efforts in minority populations.