Are African Americans at risk for developing melanoma?
Yes. However, in contrast to other populations, African Americans tend to develop melanoma on the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet, under their nails and inside their mouth and rectal mucosa. Unfortunately, the disease’s early warning signs are often ignored and the disease goes undiagnosed for a significant length of time. Because of this, African Americans have approximately three times the incidence of advanced stage diagnoses than Caucasians.
