Not all skin cancers are a result of over-exposure to the sun, and for darker-skinned people, particularly, skin cancer often shows up in different areas on the body than it does on White people.
“Among African Americans and native Africans, squamous cell carcinomas occur mainly on the legs, followed by the anogenital region (including both the anus and genitals),” according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Besides direct sun exposure, scars, radiation therapy or other trauma can lead to a diagnosis of skin cancer.
“We can’t say that it is caused by the sun; it could be due to trauma,” said Katina Byrd Miles, a dermatologist and owner of Skin Oasis, based in Gambrills, Md. “We had a patient who stepped on something like a sharp object. Another patient had an ulcer [on his foot] and he got a melanoma. But it’s difficult to know. The scalp, anus— it can be in areas where there is not a lot of sun exposure.”
The American Cancer society reported that melanoma, considered the most deadly form of skin cancer, is more serious for black Americans when it appears on the sole of the foot or palm of the hand, or if it is in a nail bed, rather than from direct sun exposure.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), among men, White men were more likely to die of melanoma of the skin than any other group, followed by American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic, Black, and Asian/Pacific Islander men. Among women, White women were more likely to die of melanoma of the skin than any other group, followed by Hispanic, Black, and Asian/Pacific Islander women.
However, researchers also say that when people of color do contract cancer, it tends to be diagnosed at later stages, sometimes because it is not considered the immediate source when lesions or discoloration are found, because darker-skinned people are more tolerant of sun.
