Abstract
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. with more than 5 million cases diagnosed annually. It is estimated that about 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70, a prevalence that has been increasing annually (Adams et al., 2021; Aggarwal et al., 2021; Dildar et al., 2021; Trager et al., 2022). As reported by the ACS, men are more likely to develop melanoma compared to women. At the age of 80, men are three times more likely to develop melanoma than women, nearly double the number of male deaths due to the melanoma in 2024, and male mortality rates from melanoma-related disease are reported to be 55% higher than female mortality rates. Besides the behavior risk factors specifically increasing the risk of skin cancer among males, which include prolonged exposure in the sun and a tendency for men to spend 10 more hours in the sun than women, limited sun screening habits, and biologically, males are born with a higher risk of skin cancer. Bellenghi et al., (2020) studied that men tend to have higher incidence of melanoma and less favorable prognoses and are more prone to distant metastases compared to women. As one of the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, Asian Americans account for 6% of the population and are expected to surpass 46 million by 2060 (Obra et al., 2021; Pew Research Center, 2021). Despite a lower prevalence of among people from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds than in NHW, Asian Americans typically present with a worse Breslow Depth, which measures how deeply a skin cancer, particularly melanoma, has penetrated the skin—the deeper the penetration, the more advanced the stage. They also have more lymph node involvement, indicating systemic metastasis. Consequently, Asian Americans frequently receive diagnoses of advanced skin cancer. Specifically, 40% of Asian Americans are diagnosed at a late stage, in contrast to 22% of NHW (CDC, 2020). This project aims include implementing existing evidence into one dermatology clinical practice setting and developing a skin cancer education program to address skin cancer disparities. The overall goal is to increase skin cancer prevention and screening knowledge among the older Asian Americans, promoting conversations about skin cancer with their healthcare providers and encourage the uptake of TBSE for early detection among senior Chinese males.
Notes
Reference list included in separate attached file.
Sigma Membership
Beta Epsilon
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Public and Community Health, Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Mentoring and Coaching, Clinical Practice, Promoting Clinical Outcomes, Skin Cancer, Skin Cancer Screening, Older Chinese American Males
Recommended Citation
Wang, Yan; Derouin, Anne; Turner, Barbara; and Xu, Hanzhang, "Improving Skin Cancer Knowledge and Screening Among Older Chinese Americans Males" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 210.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/presentations_2025/210
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-08
Improving Skin Cancer Knowledge and Screening Among Older Chinese Americans Males
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. with more than 5 million cases diagnosed annually. It is estimated that about 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70, a prevalence that has been increasing annually (Adams et al., 2021; Aggarwal et al., 2021; Dildar et al., 2021; Trager et al., 2022). As reported by the ACS, men are more likely to develop melanoma compared to women. At the age of 80, men are three times more likely to develop melanoma than women, nearly double the number of male deaths due to the melanoma in 2024, and male mortality rates from melanoma-related disease are reported to be 55% higher than female mortality rates. Besides the behavior risk factors specifically increasing the risk of skin cancer among males, which include prolonged exposure in the sun and a tendency for men to spend 10 more hours in the sun than women, limited sun screening habits, and biologically, males are born with a higher risk of skin cancer. Bellenghi et al., (2020) studied that men tend to have higher incidence of melanoma and less favorable prognoses and are more prone to distant metastases compared to women. As one of the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, Asian Americans account for 6% of the population and are expected to surpass 46 million by 2060 (Obra et al., 2021; Pew Research Center, 2021). Despite a lower prevalence of among people from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds than in NHW, Asian Americans typically present with a worse Breslow Depth, which measures how deeply a skin cancer, particularly melanoma, has penetrated the skin—the deeper the penetration, the more advanced the stage. They also have more lymph node involvement, indicating systemic metastasis. Consequently, Asian Americans frequently receive diagnoses of advanced skin cancer. Specifically, 40% of Asian Americans are diagnosed at a late stage, in contrast to 22% of NHW (CDC, 2020). This project aims include implementing existing evidence into one dermatology clinical practice setting and developing a skin cancer education program to address skin cancer disparities. The overall goal is to increase skin cancer prevention and screening knowledge among the older Asian Americans, promoting conversations about skin cancer with their healthcare providers and encourage the uptake of TBSE for early detection among senior Chinese males.
Description
Skin cancer presents a significant burden for Americans, especially among older Chinese Americans males who face increased risk due to low awareness, misconceptions about sun exposure, and limited awareness of the importance of dermatological visits. This project has demonstrated the effectiveness of a culturally and linguistically tailored education programs to increase awareness and encourage professional skin examinations for suspicious lesions in this vulnerable population.