The following is a summary of “Disparities in melanoma-specific mortality by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and health care systems,” published in the MARCH 2023 issue of Dermatology by Rosenthal, et al.

Although there have been improvements in survival rates, disparities in melanoma-specific mortality among patients based on their socio-demographic characteristics continue to exist. Therefore, for a study, researchers sought to determine the effect of race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, and healthcare systems on melanoma-specific mortality within an insured population of patients.

The study identified 14,614 insured adults diagnosed with Stage I to IV melanoma from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2014, from the California Cancer Registry. The cohort was followed through 2017, and the study compared melanoma-specific mortality between patients with insurance from the largest vertically integrated healthcare system in California, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, and insured patients with other private insurance (OPI).

Multivariable analyses showed that race/ethnicity was not associated with survival disparities. However, socio-economic status strongly predicted melanoma-specific mortality, especially for those with OPI. For instance, the poorest patients with OPI had a 70% increased risk of dying from their melanoma compared to their wealthiest counterparts. In contrast, the poorest patients in Kaiser Permanente Southern California had no increased risk.

The findings of the study highlighted the existence of socio-economic disparities within an insured population, particularly among those in non-integrated healthcare systems

Reference: jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(22)02800-6/fulltext