Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S. It occurs in more than a million people each year, including many older people. There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Of the three, melanoma is the most serious. Skin cancer occurs when abnormal cells form and multiply in an uncontrolled way in the epidermis, or abnormal cells from the epidermis invade the dermis of the skin. Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma are skin cancers that are named for the epidermal cells from which they develop.

What is Skin Cancer?

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer among light skinned individuals. It is the commonest cancer in the United States and in Australia. Each year, about one million people are diagnosed with this cancer. In 85 percent of these cases, the skin damage leading to the cancer occurs before an individual is 18.

Skin Cancer Classification

Skin Cancer Causes

Skin Cancer Diagnosis

Skin Cancer Prevention

Skin Cancer Management

Skin Cancer Pathology

Skin Cancer Symptoms

Hair Follicle Tumors

Rare Skin Cancers

Does Aspirin Increase Your Risk of Skin Cancer?

Understanding the Diversity of Skin Cancers

Latest Skin Cancer News and Research

Genetically engineering skin bacteria to fight cancer

While studying a type of bacteria that lives on the healthy skin of every human being, researchers from Stanford Medicine and a colleague may have stumbled on a powerful new way to fight cancer.

15 Apr 2024

Breakthrough study reveals melanoma's resistance tactics to targeted therapy

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. With global incidence rates rising, new, more effective treatments are necessary to alleviate the health burden of the disease. Important advances in recent years include doctors using genetic tests to look for specific mutations they can target for more personalised, effective treatment.

13 Apr 2024

Childhood obesity not linked to adult skin cancer risk, study says

Study leverages a Mendelian randomization approach to explore if childhood obesity genetically predisposes individuals to adult skin cancer, finding no significant correlation.

7 Apr 2024

UC San Diego researchers discover genetic connections to alcohol consumption

A research group centered at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine has drilled deep into a dataset of over 3 million individuals compiled by the direct-to-consumer genetics company 23andMe, Inc., and found intriguing connections between genetic factors influencing alcohol consumption and their relationship with other disorders.

5 Apr 2024

Second-generation melanoma vaccine prolongs survival of patients with skin cancer

A second-generation melanoma vaccine being developed at UVA Cancer Center improves long-term survival for melanoma patients compared with the first-generation vaccine, new research shows.

29 Mar 2024

AI's health misinformation challenge: Study calls for stronger safeguards and transparency

Study uncovers that current safeguards against health disinformation in large language models (LLMs) are applied inconsistently, and AI developers lack transparency in their risk mitigation strategies, highlighting a crucial need for more stringent regulation and comprehensive auditing processes.

24 Mar 2024

AI-based mobile app can diagnose melanoma with very high precision

A mobile app that uses artificial intelligence, AI, to analyze images of suspected skin lesions can diagnose melanoma with very high precision.

20 Mar 2024

Research unveils a cellular shield against harmful effects of UV-induced RNA damage

UV radiation in the sunlight causes sunburn and increases the risk of skin cancer by damaging our DNA but also our RNA.

18 Mar 2024

Study finds decline in breast cancer diagnoses during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic

Several studies have described the distinct ways the COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted cancer care, but less is known about the specific ways the pandemic disrupted breast cancer, the most common non-skin cancer diagnosed in women.

14 Mar 2024

New analysis sheds light on cancer incidence and mortality trends in the UK

Trends in cancer incidence and deaths in the United Kingdom (UK) among individuals aged between 35 and 69 years.

14 Mar 2024

Increased stiffness in aging skin may contribute to higher rates of metastatic skin cancer

Age-related changes that cause the skin to stiffen and become less elastic may also contribute to higher rates of metastatic skin cancer in older people, according to research by investigators from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

12 Mar 2024

UCLA and UAMS teams secure $3.2 million NIH grant for melanoma research

A team of investigators from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute was awarded a $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to identify new ways to prevent and overcome treatment resistance to targeted therapy in patients with all sub-types of cutaneous melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer.

11 Mar 2024

Disrupting the Flow: Dr. Naseri's Revolutionary Approach to Empowering Women's Health

An interview with Dr. Sara Naseri, the CEO and Co-Founder of the women’s health company, Qvin.

4 Mar 2024

Novel drug combination shows promise for treating advanced skin cancers in kidney transplant recipients

People who have had a kidney transplant are at high risk for developing skin cancers. New research directed by investigators from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center is exploring the best combination of treatments to target skin cancers while preserving the transplanted organs.

28 Feb 2024

Study: Antibody combination shows safety and anti-tumor activity in advanced cancer patients

In an early phase clinical trial, a combination of antibody-based medications targeting the immune system generated promising safety data and anti-tumor activity in individuals with various types of advanced cancer.

26 Feb 2024

Pioneering cell-based treatment for melanoma offered at Siteman Cancer Center

Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is one of the first centers nationwide to offer a newly approved cell-based immunotherapy that targets melanoma.

20 Feb 2024

Lockdown delays in melanoma diagnosis cost Europe £6bn and thousands of lives

Delays in diagnosing melanoma due to Covid-19 lockdown may have contributed to over 100,000 years of life lost across Europe and over £6bn in costs, mainly indirectly due to loss of productivity, finds a new study led by UCL and University Hospital of Basel researchers.

16 Feb 2024

How does melanin distribution impact UV damage?

How melanin content and distribution affect ultraviolet damage in skin.

14 Feb 2024

Study could lead to non-invasive, light-based techniques for early detection of skin conditions

A study conducted by Aston University researchers has demonstrated that the appearance of aging skin looks noticeably different compared to younger skin, when examined under polarized laser light.

12 Feb 2024

Penn analysis shows low risk of secondary cancers following CAR T cell therapy

The development of any type of second cancer following CAR T cell therapy is a rare occurrence, as found in an analysis of more than 400 patients treated at Penn Medicine, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania reported today in Nature Medicine.

24 Jan 2024