Why Whites Get Skin Cancer More Than Blacks

Black v. White Skin Cancer
Akeylah Lomax
SOC 4500-01
5/7/2020
Introduction
Human epidermis is subject to infections by a condition called melanoma, a form of skin cancer that attacks melanocytes cells. Melanocyte cells produce skin pigment, mostly referred to as melanin (Wang, Fukunaga-Kalabis, and Herlyn 2016). Melanin gives skin the brown or tan color and is essential for the protection of its layers beneath epidermis from the harmful effects of the sun’s energy (Plonka, Picardo, and Slominski 2017). Lack of skin pigmentation puts the whites at a higher risk of being infected by both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers (Del Bino, Duval and Bernerd 2018). Brown and the black population can tolerate exposure to high levels of sunlight and rarely get sunburns (Armstrong and Cust 2017). However, freckled or pale skin, blue eyes, and fair or red hair are at a higher risk. The extreme exposure to harmful rays damages all types of skin. Heatstroke and eye damage are the same for all people (Feller et al. 2016). This paper researches to list the background of this condition, state the importance of the research and list the problems, measures that can help in prevention and cure for the disease.
Melanoma accounts for less than 5 percent of the total skin cancer cases in the United States. Since 1935, it has remained as the most serious form of skin cancer. It causes at least 75 percent of deaths related to skin cancer (Desai et al. 2018). Besides, Melanoma incidences increased tremendously beginning 1970 to the late 1990s. Since 2000, its rates have relatively stabilized. 5-year survival rate rose from 82 percent in 1975 to 92 percent in 2004 (Kessler et al. 2019). Unfortunately, the mortality rates remained constant. Melanoma is treatable when detected in its early stages, but metastatic melanoma is still a challenge to deal with (Pritchett et al. 2016). In 2004, the American Cancer Society recorded approximately 55,100 diagnosed melanomas in the United States, out of which, 7,910 people died.
At an international level, the highest melanoma incidences recorded were in Norway, Australia, Switzerland, Denmark, Israel, Sweden, and the United States. China, Japan, India, and the Philippines recorded the lowest incidents. The disease is common among children, youths, and middle-aged populations, although everyone is at risk of being infected (Liu et al. 2016). Melanoma affects people aged 20-30 and stands as the leading cause of mortalities for women in between 25-30. It is more prevalent in white people as compared to blacks or Asians. Their incidences are 1/20 in blacks. Its lifetime risk in 1935 was 1 per 1500 Americans. In 2004, it was 1 in 71 Americans. In 2010, it was 1 in 20 people in America. The invention of prevention measures and early detection has reduced a sharp increase in the number of deaths since the 1990s.
Studies found out that the white skin is more prone to the epidermis attack more than the black color. This informs the importance of the research to focus on exploring the reasons why this is so and counter the myths that people of color have regarding skin cancer attack. This paper is important because it will prove the misconceptions have been misguiding people of color. Although skin cance...