Abstract
Introduction: Malignant melanoma (MM) is a highly aggressive skin cancer with increasing incidence among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals, who are more likely to present with advanced disease and have lower survival rates, yet literature on this population remains scarce.Objective: To analyze melanoma disparities in AI/AN individuals, focusing on diagnosis stage, socioeconomic factors, tumor characteristics, and overall survival.Methods: A retrospective cohort study using the National Cancer Database (2004–2021) compared AI/AN (n=459) and White (n=422,615) melanoma patients. Demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors were analyzed using chi-square tests, t-tests, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (p<0.05).Results: AI/AN patients had higher rates of late-stage diagnosis (p<0.001), lower income and education levels (p<0.001), and were more likely to be uninsured or covered by Medicaid (p<0.001). They were less likely to receive care at academic centers (p=0.024) and more likely to reside in rural areas (p<0.001). Overall survival differences between AI/AN and White patients were not statistically significant (p=0.988), but the survival data were limited.Conclusion: AI/AN individuals face significant disparities in melanoma diagnosis and access to care. Further research using larger datasets with fewer exclusions is needed to better understand survival disparities.