Posters
Presenting Author Academic/Professional Position
Miguel Lopez
Academic Level (Author 1)
Medical Student
Discipline/Specialty (Author 1)
Medical Education
Academic Level (Author 2)
Medical Student
Discipline/Specialty (Author 2)
Medical Education
Academic Level (Author 3)
Medical Student
Discipline/Specialty (Author 3)
Medical Education
Academic Level (Author 4)
Faculty
Discipline/Specialty (Author 4)
Surgery
Discipline Track
Community/Public Health
Abstract Type
Research/Clinical
Abstract
The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is a region of South Texas with limited dermatologic diagnostic data, particularly among non-melanoma skin carcinomas. The rising rates of chronic conditions and mortality can be attributed to the limited access to healthcare in the region, with skin conditions taking less priority in patients with numerous comorbidities. Data on the age of diagnosis for skin carcinomas between 1995-2019 for Hispanic and non-Hispanic individuals was obtained from the Texas Cancer Registry. It is important to note that the TCR considers primary skin cancers, such as basal and squamous cell carcinoma coded as C44.0-C44.9, as non-reportable cases. Thus, while accessing this database, the primary code used was "Site recode ICD-O-3/WHO 2008," which included 27 different non-epithelial skin cancers, including Merkel cell carcinoma and sebaceous adenocarcinoma.The goal of this data analysis is to compute the mean age of diagnosis in both racial groups and compare the results between patients from the four counties that make up the RGV- Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr, and Willacy county - and those who reside in the remaining Texas counties. The primary hypothesis is that the mean age of diagnosis among Hispanic individuals will be higher in the RGV than the remainder of Texas. The aim is to utilize the data from this project to highlight the current diagnostic disparities in the field of dermatology in the South Texas region, specifically in patients of Hispanic origin. The results of this project convey a statistically significant difference in the mean diagnostic age for skin carcinomas in spanish-hispanic-latino patients (SHL) and non-spanish-hispanic-latino (nSHL) patients in the RGV (p< 0.05 and p< 0.05 respectively). Further, there was no reported significant difference in the mean diagnostic age of skin carcinomas between the two studied ethnic groups within the RGV (p = 0.08). However, for patients throughout Texas, including the RGV, there was an identifiable significant difference in the mean diagnostic age between the two ethnic groups (p < 0.05).
Presentation Type
Poster
Recommended Citation
Lopez, Miguel A.; Quailes, Natasha; Arellano Villanueva, Elias; and Villegas, Maria, "Regional Disparities in the Diagnostic Age of Skin Carcinomas: An Analysis of the Rio Grande Valley" (2025). Research Colloquium. 71.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/colloquium/2025/posters/71
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Dermatology Commons, Family Medicine Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons
Regional Disparities in the Diagnostic Age of Skin Carcinomas: An Analysis of the Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is a region of South Texas with limited dermatologic diagnostic data, particularly among non-melanoma skin carcinomas. The rising rates of chronic conditions and mortality can be attributed to the limited access to healthcare in the region, with skin conditions taking less priority in patients with numerous comorbidities. Data on the age of diagnosis for skin carcinomas between 1995-2019 for Hispanic and non-Hispanic individuals was obtained from the Texas Cancer Registry. It is important to note that the TCR considers primary skin cancers, such as basal and squamous cell carcinoma coded as C44.0-C44.9, as non-reportable cases. Thus, while accessing this database, the primary code used was "Site recode ICD-O-3/WHO 2008," which included 27 different non-epithelial skin cancers, including Merkel cell carcinoma and sebaceous adenocarcinoma.The goal of this data analysis is to compute the mean age of diagnosis in both racial groups and compare the results between patients from the four counties that make up the RGV- Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr, and Willacy county - and those who reside in the remaining Texas counties. The primary hypothesis is that the mean age of diagnosis among Hispanic individuals will be higher in the RGV than the remainder of Texas. The aim is to utilize the data from this project to highlight the current diagnostic disparities in the field of dermatology in the South Texas region, specifically in patients of Hispanic origin. The results of this project convey a statistically significant difference in the mean diagnostic age for skin carcinomas in spanish-hispanic-latino patients (SHL) and non-spanish-hispanic-latino (nSHL) patients in the RGV (p< 0.05 and p< 0.05 respectively). Further, there was no reported significant difference in the mean diagnostic age of skin carcinomas between the two studied ethnic groups within the RGV (p = 0.08). However, for patients throughout Texas, including the RGV, there was an identifiable significant difference in the mean diagnostic age between the two ethnic groups (p < 0.05).
