ON THIS PAGE: You will find some basic information about this disease and the parts of the body it may affect. This is the first page of Cancer.Net’s Guide to Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer. Use the menu to see other pages. Think of that menu as a roadmap for this entire guide. The skin is the body’s largest organ. It protects the body against infection and injury and helps regulate body temperature. The skin also
stores water and fat and produces vitamin D. The skin is made up of 3 main layers: The epidermis. The outer layer of skin. The dermis. The inner layer of skin. The hypodermis. The deep layer of fat. See the Medical Illustrations section for a drawing of these layers. About skin cancerCancer begins when healthy cells change and grow out of control, forming a mass called a tumor. A tumor can be cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumor is malignant, meaning it can grow and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor means the tumor can grow but will not spread. Doctors diagnose skin cancer in more than 3 million Americans each year, making it the most common type of cancer. If skin cancer is found early, it can usually be treated with topical medications, procedures done in the office by a dermatologist, or an outpatient surgery. A dermatologist is a doctor who specializes in diseases and conditions of the skin. As a result, skin cancer is responsible for less than 1% of all cancer deaths. In some cases, skin cancer may be more advanced and require management by a multidisciplinary team that often includes a dermatologist, surgical oncologist, radiation oncologist, and a medical oncologist. These doctors will meet with a patient, and together they will recommend the best path forward to treat the cancer. In some instances, the surgical oncologist will recommend a surgery to be performed in an operating room when the procedure to treat the cancer is too extensive for an office setting. Other times, radiation therapy and/or treatments using medication given by mouth or by vein are recommended by the team either in place of or in combination with surgery. (More details are given in the Types of Treatment section of this guide.) Types of skin cancerThere are 4 main types of skin cancer:
Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are sometimes grouped together and called keratinocyte carcinoma. This is because they begin in a type of skin cell called a keratinocyte. In this guide, "non-melanoma skin cancer" refers to keratinocyte carcinoma and Merkel cell cancer to distinguish them from melanoma. There are a few other, rare types of non-melanoma skin cancer not covered in this guide, including cutaneous (skin) lymphomas, Kaposi sarcoma, skin adnexal tumors, and sarcomas. The next section in this guide is Statistics. It helps explain the number of people who are diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancer and general survival rates. Use the menu to choose a different section to read in this guide. Which type of skin cancer is the most common?Basal and squamous cell carcinomas are the two most common types of skin cancer. They begin in the basal and squamous layers of the skin, respectively. Melanoma, the third most common type of skin cancer, begins in the melanocytes. What Are the Risk Factors for Skin Cancer?
What's worse basal cell or squamous?Though not as common as basal cell (about one million new cases a year), squamous cell is more serious because it is likely to spread (metastasize). Treated early, the cure rate is over 90%, but metastases occur in 1%–5% of cases.
What is the most treatable skin cancer?Melanoma is the most invasive skin cancer with the highest risk of death. While it's a serious skin cancer, it's highly curable if caught early.
What are the 4 signs of skin cancer?Use the “ABCDE rule” to look for some of the common signs of melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer:. Asymmetry. One part of a mole or birthmark doesn't match the other.. Border. The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred.. Color. ... . Diameter. ... . Evolving.. |