Protections urged for blacks and hispanics

Researchers said blacks and Hispanics were more likely than whites to seek treatment for melanoma.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Andre Morisseau, 35, of West Palm Beach, relaxing at the beach with a friend from Connecticut on Monday, but was not wearing any sunscreen.
"I never take precautions," said Morisseau, who is black. "It's something I don't even think about, you know. Honestly, I've never gotten checked [for skin cancer.]"
Study
A new health study out Tuesday suggests Morisseau may have plenty of company -- and that's troubling to skin-cancer specialists. The University of Miami study, published Tuesday in the Archives of Dermatology, found blacks and Hispanics made up nearly one-third of melanoma cases between 1997 and 2002, while whites made up the majority.
What's more, researchers said blacks and Hispanics were far more likely than whites to seek treatment for melanoma -- the deadliest form of skin cancer -- only after it had already spread to other parts of the body.
The findings, researchers said, suggest many dark-skinned people may wrongly believe they are not at risk of developing skin and therefore fail to take appropriate precautions in the sun.
Blacks and Hispanics have a lower risk of melanoma than whites, but they are not immune.