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?

Latest Skin Cancer News and Research

New pioneering test helps predict the spread of deadly skin cancer

A pioneering test which reliably predicts the spread or return of the most deadly form of skin cancer has been developed by a team of Newcastle scientists and clinicians.

16 Jan 2022

New insights into molecular mechanisms that underpin the body's natural defenses against skin cancer

A study published today in Cell Reports reveals important insights into the molecular mechanisms that underpin the body's natural defenses against the development of skin cancer.

11 Jan 2022

High-fiber diet helps melanoma patients to respond better to immunotherapy

Melanoma patients receiving therapy that makes it easier for their immune system to kill cancer cells respond to treatment better when their diet is rich in fiber, according to a large, international research collaboration that includes the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy.

24 Dec 2021

AI-driven medical imaging may help fight against rectal cancer

Building on its successes in applying artificial intelligence (AI) to medical imaging to enhance treatment of other diseases, a Case Western Reserve University-led team next will test its approach with rectal cancer patients.

4 Dec 2021

New safe, painless diagnostic tool for detecting breast cancer

Mammograms are a safe, effective way to detect the presence of breast cancer in women. But doctors recommend most females should start getting mammograms after the age of 40 in part because the procedure involves small doses of ionizing radiation.

30 Nov 2021

AI identifies patterns on CT scans that offer new promise for treating small cell lung cancer

Researchers at the Center for Computational Imaging and Personalized Diagnostics at Case Western Reserve University have used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify patterns on computed tomography (CT) scans that offer new promise for treating patients with small cell lung cancer.

23 Nov 2021

Study identifies key factor sustaining malignant tumor state

In a study published in Nature Cancer, researchers led by Prof. Cedric Blanpain, WELBIO investigator, Director of the Laboratory of Stem Cells and Cancer and Professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, demonstrated that NR2F2 is an essential regulator of malignant tumor state by controlling cancer stem cell and tumor maintenance in mouse and human cancers.

22 Nov 2021

UCLA-developed new "virtual histology" technology may reduce need for skin biopsies

Instead of surgically removing a sample of skin, sending it to a lab and waiting several days for results, your dermatologist takes pictures of a suspicious-looking lesion and quickly produces a detailed, microscopic image of the skin.

18 Nov 2021

Young adults with cancer may require different treatments than older patients

Not all tumors are alike. Young adults who are diagnosed with skin, colon, and other cancer types may require different treatments than older patients receive.

16 Nov 2021

Scientists develop new approach to combat treatment-resistant melanoma

Researchers from the Centenary Institute have developed a new approach to fighting melanomas that fail to respond – or are resistant – to standard treatments. The deadliest form of skin cancer, melanoma is responsible for more than 1,700 deaths each year in Australia.

30 Oct 2021

Immune cell patterns can help predict if kidney cancer patients will respond to immunotherapy

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and UCL have found immune cell patterns within tumors that can help predict if patients with kidney cancer will respond to immunotherapy.

28 Oct 2021

Study identifies how cancer cells transform macrophages into supporters of their growth

A Ludwig Cancer Research study has identified a means by which cancer cells engineer the conversion of immune cells known as macrophages from destroyers of tumors to supporters of their growth and survival.

26 Oct 2021

Discovery could help develop a new treatment strategy for patients with melanoma

A new study led by Yale Cancer Center researchers shows that the enzyme KDM5B suppresses anti-melanoma immunity.

20 Oct 2021

Zinc oxide in sunscreens destroys UVA protection during sun exposure

During use some sunscreens offer very limited protection against dangerous sunrays and may even be harmful.

15 Oct 2021

Impact of BRCA1 mRNA expression on survival of patients breast and colorectal cancer

Oncotarget published "Opposing effects of BRCA1 mRNA expression on patient survival in breast and colorectal cancer and variations among African American, Asian, and younger patients" which reported that LMNB2 is a chromatin remodeling protein that also plays a role in eukaryotic cell proliferation by organizing the nuclear membrane during mitosis.

13 Oct 2021