[Correspondence] Body-mass index and metastatic melanoma outcomes – Authors' reply

As noted by Wen and colleagues, both the patterns of melanoma and the relationship between body-mass index (BMI) and adiposity vary by race and ethnicity. The incidence of melanoma also varies greatly by geographic region. Melanoma incidence and mortality rates are about 20–30 times higher in countries with a predominantly white population than in Asian countries.1 In the US, non-Hispanic white people account for more than 95% of cutaneous melanoma cases.2 This disparity is driven by the protective effect of darker skin against UV damage, which is the primary risk factor for non-acral cutaneous melanoma (the most common subtype of this disease).

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