EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CUTANEOUS MELANOMA IN THE FRENCH-WEST-INDIES (MARTINIQUE)

The epidemiology of melanoma in populations of African-European descen t has rarely been reported, The authors studied melanoma in the French West Indies (Martinique), where black Caribbeans and whites represent ed 96% and 4% of the population, respectively. Among the 85 cases of m elanoma collected from 1976 to 1995, blacks represented 75% and whites , 25%. The average incidence rates were 1.48 and 0.9 per 100,000 per y ear in females and males, respectively, The sole of the foot represent ed 72% of the primary sites in blacks, Breslow's tumor thickness was > 1.5 mm in 68% of the cases. The 5-year survival was 44%.