Melanoma and primary hepatocellular carcinoma

Melanoma and primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are two cancers with distinct disparity profiles. In the case of melanoma, while fair-skinned individuals with high education and income are more likely to be diagnosed, those of low socioeconomic status (SES) have a higher case-fatality rate. Greater awareness of warning signs of melanoma and access to primary care/dermatologists likely account for disparities between persons of moderate-high SES and those of lower SES. In the case of HCC, however, the highest incidence and mortality rates in the United States occur among Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs); all other people of color have higher rates compared to non-Hispanic whites (Miller et al. 1996). Worldwide, APIs are approximately four times more frequently affected, and blacks and Hispanics approximately two times more frequently affected, than non-Hispanic whites. Even so, in the United States, the largest absolute number of HCC cases still occur among whites (El-Serag 2007).