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

Study could lead to new strategies to prevent various cancers

Chronic inflammation drives the development of various cancers, including those of the skin, colon and pancreas. Investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) who previously demonstrated high expression levels of an immune molecule called interleukin-33 (IL-33) during cancer-promoting inflammation have now uncovered the details behind the molecule's effects.

22 Feb 2021

New system distinguishes suspicious pigmented lesions from non-suspicious ones

Melanoma is by far the deadliest form of skin cancer, killing more than 7,000 people in the United States in 2019 alone.

17 Feb 2021

Scientists examine DNA repair pathways and their impact on cancer evolution

DNA repair pathways exist to correct molecular damage caused by internal and external factors. However, any damage to these pathways can result in the creation of tumors and specific types of cancers.

17 Feb 2021

Changes to gut microbiome help melanoma patients respond to immunotherapy

Statistical modeling developed by Oregon State University researchers has confirmed that changes to melanoma patients' gut microbiome led them to respond to a type of treatment capable of providing long-term benefit.

16 Feb 2021

Algorithm for skin cancer diagnosis performs on par with dermatologists

A study has now been presented that boosts the evidence for using AI solutions in skin cancer diagnostics.

13 Feb 2021

New review summarises effect of aquatic pollution on cancer prevalence in wild animals

The recent review, published in Environment International and led by the University of Tartu, summarises the effect of aquatic pollution on cancer prevalence in wild animals with the help of more than 300 reviewed studies.

11 Feb 2021

Scientists avert drug resistance in subtype of brain tumors

In far too many cases over the years, scientists have discovered promising new cancer treatments, only to report later that the tumor cells found ways to become resistant. These disappointing results have made overcoming drug resistance a major goal in cancer research.

11 Feb 2021

ASDS releases new recommendations for physicians performing injectable filler procedures

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) multispecialty Soft-tissue Fillers Guideline Task Force has released its evidence-based recommendations for physicians performing injectable filler procedures.

8 Feb 2021

Grape consumption offers protection against UV skin damage

A recent human study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that consuming grapes protected against ultraviolet (UV) skin damage.

5 Feb 2021

Yale scientists develop an injection-based therapy for skin cancer

Yale researchers are developing a skin cancer treatment that involves injecting nanoparticles into the tumor, killing cancer cells with a two-pronged approach, as a potential alternative to surgery.

2 Feb 2021

Skin cancer has increased significantly in the last four decades

Incidence rates of skin cancer (cutaneous malignant melanoma) have increased more than 550% in males and 250% in females since the early 1980s in England - according to a new study by Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS).

26 Jan 2021

Dramatic changes seen in delivery of radiotherapy treatments during coronavirus pandemic

Dramatic changes were seen in the delivery of radiotherapy treatments for cancer during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in England.

22 Jan 2021

New study helps understand molecular profile of tumors in cancer patients

Researchers from the University Hospitals in Zurich and Basel, ETH Zurich, University of Zurich and the pharmaceutical company Roche have set out to improve cancer diagnostics by developing a platform of state-of-the-art molecular biology methods.

21 Jan 2021

Study investigates the metabolites involved in growth and spread of melanoma

The first step in treating cancer is understanding how it starts, grows and spreads throughout the body. A relatively new cancer research approach is the study of metabolites, the products of different steps in cancer cell metabolism, and how those substances interact.

12 Jan 2021

Mediterranean diet has the potential to effect progression of prostate cancer

In a study to examine a Mediterranean diet in relation to prostate cancer progression in men on active surveillance, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that men with localized prostate cancer who reported a baseline dietary pattern that more closely follows the key principles of a Mediterranean-style diet fared better over the course of their disease.

7 Jan 2021