WEDNESDAY, March 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Factors associated with advanced presentation of melanoma include age, gender, race/ethnicity, geographical location, and socioeconomic factors, according to a study published in the March issue of SKIN.

Kennedy A. Sabharwal, from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington, and colleagues examined risk factors associated with advanced presentation of melanoma in the United States. Stage III and IV melanomas were identified in the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2015.

A total of 477,914 patients met the inclusion criteria; 13.2 percent presented with an advanced stage. The researchers found that lower income, non-Hispanic White race, Medicaid/uninsured, greater distance to treatment centers, male gender, younger age, more medical comorbidities, and Southeast U.S. location were factors associated with advanced presentation, and associations were significant in a multivariate analysis.

"Patients, medical providers, epidemiologists, and government organizations should be aware of the factors associated with advanced presentations of melanoma," the authors write. "Ultimately, patients and providers stand to benefit, always with the goal for reduced time to diagnosis and treatment and decreased mortality for this curable disease."