Cutaneous cancers in the Africans: Systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Skin cancers are uncommon in Africans and dark-skinned people but when diagnosed they often have a poor prognosis. Darker skin has increased photoprotection against the high-intensity ultraviolet radiation (UVR) of the tropics and the subtropics due to high eumelanin content. While UVR has been found to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of cutaneous malignancies in Caucasians, it is of less significance in Africans.