
Skin cancer is a type of tumor of the skin which can continue to invade, grow and potentially spread if left untreated.
Incidence: Common
○ More than 200,000 US cases per year
○ Requires a medical diagnosis
○ Lab tests or imaging required
Skin Cancer usually developes in areas of the body with the most sun exposure. However, it can also occur in areas of your skin not ordinarily exposed to sunlight. There are three major types of skin cancer — basal cell carcinoma, squamous
cell carcinoma and melanoma.
The most frequent type of cancer in the United States is skin cancer. The two most common cancers of the skin, basal cell, and squamous cell carcinomas are curable but can be costly to treat and lead to disfigurement. The third
common skin cancer, melanoma is the most dangerous and causes the most deaths. Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) light causes the majority of these three types of skin cancer but melanoma seems more directly related to sun burns-even
one burn significantly increases your risk.