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

Obesity-related cancer deaths are declining at a slower pace, shows study

Cancer death rates have fallen dramatically in the United States, but factor in obesity, as researchers did at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, and the picture changes.

13 May 2021

Study describes differences between mutation profile of acral nevi and acral melanoma

Melanocytic nevi, or moles, are nonmalignant growths that arise from pigment producing cells of the skin.

12 May 2021

Researchers use 3-D bioprinting to create custom-shaped cartilage for use in surgical procedures

A team of University of Alberta researchers has discovered a way to use 3-D bioprinting technology to create custom-shaped cartilage for use in surgical procedures. The work aims to make it easier for surgeons to safely restore the features of skin cancer patients living with nasal cartilage defects after surgery.

5 May 2021

Disparities exist in colorectal cancer screenings, study finds

Patients with one or more health conditions are more likely to be screened for colorectal cancer than those without comorbidities, according to new research in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine.

3 May 2021

Researchers address the importance of increasing efforts to limit indoor tanning among minors

There is substantial evidence that indoor tanning is associated with increased risk of skin cancer – the most common type of cancer nationwide according to the American Cancer Society. Public health officials and researchers have become increasingly concerned about the health risks posed by indoor tanning.

29 Apr 2021

FDA approves clinical trials to test the safety of cancer-detection technology

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved human clinical trials to test the safety of cancer-detection technology developed at Case Western Reserve University: a tumor-targeting contrast agent that accurately detects aggressive prostate cancer in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

22 Apr 2021

New recipients for the 2021 NCCN Foundation Young Investigator Awards announced

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the NCCN Foundation today announced six new recipients for the 2021 NCCN Foundation Young Investigator Awards Program.

15 Apr 2021

Campaign informing about risk of tanning should consider people’s resistance to message

Most young women already know that tanning is dangerous and sunbathe anyway, so a campaign informing them of the risk should take into account their potential resistance to the message, according to a new study.

15 Apr 2021

Commonly used drug for neuromuscular diseases could also help prevent certain skin cancers

New data published by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute suggests that an oral drug currently used in the clinical setting to treat neuromuscular diseases could also help prevent a common form of skin cancer caused by damage from ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation from the sun.

13 Apr 2021

Melanoma mortality is higher in Utah than in any other state, shows report

A letter published today [April 8, 2021] by Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U) in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that melanoma mortality among Utahns outpaced that of the rest of the United States during the period from 1975 to 2013.

12 Apr 2021

Increased incidence of melanoma in Utah points to overdiagnosis

A letter published today by Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U) in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that melanoma mortality among Utahns outpaced that of the rest of the United States during the period from 1975 to 2013.

9 Apr 2021

Study indicates an amyloid link between melanoma and Parkinson’s disease

On the surface, Parkinson's disease -; a neurodegenerative disorder -; and melanoma -; a type of skin cancer -; do not appear to have much in common.

7 Apr 2021

New research could rescue failed immunotherapies for treating solid tumors

New research from the UVA Cancer Center could rescue once-promising immunotherapies for treating solid cancer tumors, such as ovarian, colon and triple-negative breast cancer, that ultimately failed in human clinical trials.

7 Apr 2021

Military exposed to toxic fumes from burn pits set to get bipartisan boost

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Friday planned to roll out what could be the most ambitious attempt ever tried to treat American war fighters poisoned in deployments overseas.

26 Mar 2021

New screening method detects cancer biomarkers more effectively

Early screening can mean the difference between life and death in a cancer and disease diagnosis. That's why University of Central Florida researchers are working to develop a new screening technique that's more than 300 times as effective at detecting a biomarker for diseases like cancer than current methods.

26 Mar 2021

Study identifies NCOA3 as a novel therapeutic target for melanoma

For the first time, activation of nuclear receptor coactivator 3 (NCOA3) has been shown to promote the development of melanoma through regulation of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) sensitivity, cell cycle progression and circumvention of the DNA damage response.

25 Mar 2021

Study uncovers new biomarkers in patients with malignant melanoma

A team of researchers has studied the molecular profile of small “messenger” vesicles called exosomes, produced by cancer stem cells (CSCs), which play a key role in the process of carcinogenesis and metastasis in the blood of patients with malignant melanoma.

25 Mar 2021