[MELANOMA INCIDENCE, IMMIGRATION AND ORIGIN]

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Epidemiology
• Oncology

Background:

• Melanoma, a malignant tumor of melanocytes, shows increasing prevalence.
• Early diagnosis is critical for preventing metastasis and achieving recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare melanoma incidence across epidemiological groups in northern Israel.
• Assess migration's impact on melanoma incidence.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 130 melanoma patient records from 2016.
• Analysis of demographic and tumor characteristics.

Main Results:

• European and American immigrants have higher melanoma risk than African and Asian immigrants.
• Immigrants from the former Soviet Union show significantly increased melanoma risk (32% of patients vs. 9% of population).
• Melanomas in this subgroup often occurred on extremities, at a younger age, and tended to be more advanced.

Conclusions:

• Immigrants from the former Soviet Union face elevated melanoma risk.
• Targeted awareness campaigns on prevention and early diagnosis are recommended for this population.
• Further research is needed to evaluate routine screening for this high-risk group.