Native America Calling: Native skin cancer study prompts new concerns about risk

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Monday, March 10, 2025

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Native skin cancer study prompts new concerns about risk

Native Americans have a lower risk of developing skin cancer than their white counterparts.

But a more comprehensive look at the disease over ten years’ time shows gaps in how skin cancer among Native people is counted. It also signals problems in awareness, diagnosis and treatment among people who live in poverty or in rural areas.

Join the conversation look at the links between Native Americans and skin cancer, and get a reminder about what to look for.

Cancer in Indian Country

American Indian and Alaska Native people have the second highest rate of skin cancer, according to a study study published in JAMA Dermatology. Source: Melanoma Incidence Rates Among Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native Individuals, 1999-2019 (JAMA Dermatol. 2024;160(2):148–155. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2023.5226)

American Indian/Alaska Native people have the second highest rate of skin cancer after white people. #SkinCancer #melanoma #NativeAmerican #Indigenous https://t.co/O22rfZfVWX
— Cancer Health (@cancerhealthmag) November 23, 2024

Guests on Native America Calling

Dr. Anna Chacon (Maya), board certified dermatologist, chief executive officer of Indigenous Dermatology, a business in Florida

Dr. Rachel Asiniwasis (Plains Cree and Saulteaux First Nations), dermatologist and clinician researcher, operator of Origins Dermatology in Saskatchewan, Canada

Melissa Buffalo (Meskwaki Nation), Chief Executive Officer at American Indian Cancer Foundation, a non-profit based in Minnesota