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 Diagnosis

Understanding the Diversity of Skin Cancers

Does Aspirin Increase Your Risk of Skin Cancer?

Skin Cancer Pathology

Skin Cancer Management

Skin Cancer Causes

Skin Cancer Prevention

Hair Follicle Tumors

Skin Cancer Classification

Skin Cancer Symptoms

Rare Skin Cancers

Latest Skin Cancer News and Research

Topical cream activates immune response to suppress skin cancer growth

A topical cream activated the skin's immune defenses and suppressed tumor growth in two preclinical models of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), one of the most common cancers in the world, according to a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

12 Mar 2026

Are socially isolated people more likely to develop cancer? Study of 350,000 adults explores the risk

A large UK Biobank study of more than 350,000 adults found that social isolation, but not loneliness alone, was associated with a modest increase in overall cancer risk during over 11 years of follow-up. The association was stronger in women and appeared partly linked to socioeconomic disadvantage, unhealthy behaviors, and inflammatory processes.

3 Mar 2026

Sunscreen costs vary widely despite identical SPF protection

UCSF researchers calculated the annual cost of using sunscreens and found huge variations, depending on product price and how much skin a person exposes to the sun.

26 Feb 2026

Mental health struggles in first year of cancer care predict worse outcomes

This study reveals a strong association between early mental health disorders in cancer patients and increased all-cause mortality, highlighting care needs.

25 Feb 2026

Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center delivers Louisiana’s first TIL therapy for melanoma

Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center at The Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center in New Orleans announces a milestone in advanced cancer treatment, as the first institution in Louisiana to provide an adult patient with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) therapy for advanced melanoma.

23 Feb 2026

Transcription factor HOXD13 drives melanoma growth and immune evasion

A molecule that helps regulate gene activity has also been shown to drive skin cancer growth and tumors' ability to evade attack by the body's immune system, a new study shows.

11 Feb 2026

New nanoparticles enable the removal of melanoma tumors with low-power laser

Researchers at Oregon State University have developed and tested in a mouse model a new type of nanoparticle that enables the removal of melanoma tumors with a low-power laser.

10 Feb 2026

Common human fungus found to worsen melanoma aggressiveness

Cancer is one of the causes responsible for the most deaths worldwide; in 2020, for example, it resulted in ten million deaths. It has been estimated that micro-organism infections caused between 13-18% of these cases.

3 Feb 2026

Treating desmoplastic melanoma with immunotherapy before surgery can shrink or eliminate tumors

New results from a clinical trial co-led by UCLA investigators demonstrate how treating desmoplastic melanoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer, with immunotherapy before surgery can dramatically shrink or even eliminate tumors, sparing patients from more aggressive surgeries and preserving their quality of life.

29 Jan 2026

Poop pills could help cancer patients respond to immunotherapy while reducing toxic side effects

Fecal microbiota transplants (FMT), can dramatically improve cancer treatment, suggest two groundbreaking studies published in the prestigious Nature Medicine journal.

28 Jan 2026

Pre-surgical medication use grows for pancreatic, gynecologic, and abdominal lining cancers

The second annual report from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) documents a substantial rise in medication treatments, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy, used before surgery to treat many cancers, often allowing less invasive surgery and helping clinicians assess how a patient's cancer responds to medication to guide the most effective treatment options.

22 Jan 2026

New therapeutic approach converts immune cells inside tumors into anticancer cell therapies

Within tumors in the human body, there are immune cells (macrophages) capable of fighting cancer, but they have been unable to perform their roles properly due to suppression by the tumor.

2 Jan 2026

Indoor tanning loads normal skin with mutations linked to melanoma

Indoor tanning is associated with markedly higher mutation burdens and cancer-driving genetic changes in melanocytes taken from normal-appearing skin, including areas usually protected from sunlight. These molecular alterations provide a biological explanation for the higher odds of melanoma and multiple primary tumors seen in heavy tanning bed users.

15 Dec 2025

Young tanning bed users show accelerated genetic aging in the skin

Tanning bed users are known to have a higher risk of skin cancer, but for the first time researchers have found that young indoor tanners undergo genetic changes that can lead to more mutations in their skin cells than people twice their age.

12 Dec 2025

Lower dose of immunotherapy for malignant melanoma improves results

According to a new study, lower doses of approved immunotherapy for malignant melanoma can give better results against tumors, while reducing side effects.

8 Dec 2025

Elevated levels of five blood proteins can help predict mortality risk

Elevated levels of five proteins in our blood can help predict risk of mortality, a new study from the University of Surrey finds.

24 Nov 2025

Higher melanoma rates linked to agricultural areas in Pennsylvania

Counties in Pennsylvania that contained or were near cultivated cropland had significantly higher melanoma rates compared to other regions, according to a new study led by scientists at Penn State.

14 Nov 2025

Scientists reveal how prolonged UV exposure weakens cellular defense against skin cancer

Sunlight is vital for human health as it helps the body produce essential nutrients, such as vitamin D. However, too much sun exposure can significantly increase the risk of skin cancer.

13 Nov 2025

Researchers develop multiethnic model for identifying individuals with skin cancer

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have developed a new approach for identifying individuals with skin cancer that combines genetic ancestry, lifestyle and social determinants of health using a machine learning model.

10 Nov 2025

Tailored vitamin D3 supplementation lowers risk of heart attack recurrence

A tailored approach of vitamin D3 supplementation in patients who have suffered a heart attack significantly reduces their risk of a second heart attack, a new study from heart researchers at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City finds.

10 Nov 2025