OBJECTIVES:

To provide a population-based description of the anatomic distribution of melanoma among non-Hispanic black patients and to explore how characteristics of this distribution relate to the etiologies previously reported for both white and black patients.

DESIGN:

Cross-sectional, retrospective.

SETTING:

United States, January 1, 1998, through December 31, 2007.

PATIENTS:

A total of 1439 non-Hispanic black patients with a diagnosis of malignant melanoma.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

Proportion of melanoma found per anatomic site (head, face, or neck; trunk; upper limb and shoulder; and the lower limb and hip) by patient sex, age, and region of diagnosis.

RESULTS:

The most frequent site of melanoma was the lower limb and hip (848 [58.9%]) and trunk (238 [16.5%]). The youngest median age was presented for diagnoses of the trunk (male: 56 years and females: 48 years). Presentation on the lower limb and hip accounted for most diagnoses in both the northern and southern geographic regions (north: 58.2% and south: 59.7%).

CONCLUSIONS:

By increasing knowledge about the burden of this disease within the black population, our findings can be used to improve the early detection of melanoma by both the patient and the provider.