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Acral lentiginous melanoma showed higher mortality in one racial group despite comparable disease severity at diagnosis. 

A study published in June 2025 issue of Journal of American Academy of Dermatology underscored that delayed diagnosis and greater acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) burden contribute to poorer melanoma outcomes.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to understand the epidemiology of ALM across racial groups and determine whether outcome disparities were primarily driven by delayed diagnosis.  

They extracted cutaneous melanoma cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program database. Disease severity at the time of diagnosis and the risk of melanoma-specific mortality were analyzed across racial groups. Comparisons were made among the 4 major melanoma histological subtypes, adjusting for clinicopathological and socioeconomic covariates.  

The results showed that there was no significant difference in disease severity at diagnosis between Black and White individuals with ALM. However, ALM was the only major melanoma subtype in which Black individuals had a significantly higher risk of melanoma-specific mortality compared to White individuals (hazard ratio (HR)=2.04 [95% CI: 1.31–3.11]).  

Investigators concluded that racial disparities in ALM-related skin cancer outcomes were not fully explained by delayed diagnosis or socioeconomic factors.

Source: jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(25)02378-3/abstract