Laura Y Blumenthal1, Julia Arzeno2, Nicole Syder3, Sina Rabi4, Margaret Huang3, Erick Castellanos5, Patrick Tran5, Trevor A Pickering6, Emily J Dantus3, Gino K In7, Teresa Soriano2, Jenny C Hu4. 1. Center for Dermatology Care, Thousand Oaks, California. Electronic address: laura.blumenthal.md@gmail.com. 2. Division of Dermatology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, California. 3. Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. 4. Department of Dermatology, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. 5. David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. 6. Division of Biostatistics, Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. 7. Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is limited literature regarding potential disparities in nonmelanoma skin cancer for patients with skin of color. OBJECTIVE: Use the sizes of Mohs micrographic surgery defects to examine disparities in nonmelanoma skin cancer among Hispanic/Latino patients with a secondary aim to examine the effect of insurance type. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter retrospective study using data from 3 major institutions in Los Angeles County. A total of 3486 Mohs micrographic surgeries of basal cell, squamous cell, and basosquamous cell carcinomas were analyzed. RESULTS: Mohs micrographic surgery defect sizes were 17% larger among Hispanic/Latino patients compared with non-Hispanic White patients. More notably, when comparing defect sizes of squamous cell carcinomas to those of basal cell carcinomas, defects were 80% larger among Hispanic/Latino patients compared to non-Hispanic White patients who had 25% larger defect sizes. Compared to patients with Medicare, patients with health maintenance organization and Medicaid/health maintenance organization had 22% and 52% larger defect sizes, respectively, whereas patients with preferred provider organization, had 10% smaller defect sizes. LIMITATIONS: The data included were from a single county population. CONCLUSION: Disparities regarding nonmelanoma skin cancer exist between patients with skin of color and White patients. Patients and the medical community need to be cognizant that skin cancer can develop in patients regardless of their race and ethnicity.
BACKGROUND: There is limited literature regarding potential disparities in nonmelanoma skin cancer for patients with skin of color. OBJECTIVE: Use the sizes of Mohs micrographic surgery defects to examine disparities in nonmelanoma skin cancer among Hispanic/Latino patients with a secondary aim to examine the effect of insurance type. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter retrospective study using data from 3 major institutions in Los Angeles County. A total of 3486 Mohs micrographic surgeries of basal cell, squamous cell, and basosquamous cell carcinomas were analyzed. RESULTS: Mohs micrographic surgery defect sizes were 17% larger among Hispanic/Latino patients compared with non-Hispanic White patients. More notably, when comparing defect sizes of squamous cell carcinomas to those of basal cell carcinomas, defects were 80% larger among Hispanic/Latino patients compared to non-Hispanic White patients who had 25% larger defect sizes. Compared to patients with Medicare, patients with health maintenance organization and Medicaid/health maintenance organization had 22% and 52% larger defect sizes, respectively, whereas patients with preferred provider organization, had 10% smaller defect sizes. LIMITATIONS: The data included were from a single county population. CONCLUSION: Disparities regarding nonmelanoma skin cancer exist between patients with skin of color and White patients. Patients and the medical community need to be cognizant that skin cancer can develop in patients regardless of their race and ethnicity.
Authors: John Charles A Lacson; Scarlet H Doyle; Jocelyn Del Rio; Stephanie M Forgas; Rodrigo Carvajal; Guillermo Gonzalez-Calderon; Adriana Ramírez Feliciano; Youngchul Kim; Richard G Roetzheim; Steven K Sutton; Susan T Vadaparampil; Brenda Soto-Torres; Peter A Kanetsky Journal: Cancer Res Commun Date: 2022-01-11