Skin Cancer

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Images
• Health Check Tools

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. The two most common types are basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer. They usually form on the head, face, neck, hands, and arms. Another type of skin cancer, melanoma, is more dangerous but less common.

Anyone can get skin cancer, but it is more common in people who

• Spend a lot of time in the sun or have been sunburned
• Have light-colored skin, hair and eyes
• Have a family member with skin cancer
• Are over age 50

You should have your doctor check any suspicious skin markings and any changes in the way your skin looks. Treatment is more likely to work well when cancer is found early. If not treated, some types of skin cancer cells can spread to other tissues and organs. Treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), and biologic therapy. PDT uses a drug and a type of laser light to kill cancer cells. Biologic therapy boosts your body's own ability to fight cancer.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

• Skin Cancer (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Sun and Skin: The Dark Side of Sun Exposure (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• How Are Squamous and Basal Cell Skin Cancers Diagnosed? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Skin Biopsy (Logical Images)
• Skin Cancer Screening (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Stages of Merkel Cell Carcinoma (National Cancer Institute)
• Stages of Skin Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Behavioral Counseling to Prevent Skin Cancer (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) - PDF
• Skin Cancer Prevention (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Surgeon General)

Treatments and Therapies

• Cryosurgery in Cancer Treatment: Questions and Answers (National Cancer Institute)
• Drugs Approved for Skin Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
• Electrodesiccation (Logical Images)
• Mohs Micrographic Surgery (Logical Images)
• Radiation Therapy for Skin Cancer (American Society for Radiation Oncology) - PDF
• Skin Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute)
• Treatment Option Overview (Merkel Cell Carcinoma) (National Cancer Institute)
• Treatment Options by Stage (Merkel Cell Carcinoma) (National Cancer Institute)
• Treatment Options for Actinic Keratosis (National Cancer Institute)
• Treatment Options for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer (National Cancer Institute)

Living With

• What Will Happen After Treatment for Basal and Squamous Cell Skin Cancers? (American Cancer Society)

Related Issues

• Actinic Cheilitis (Logical Images)
• Actinic Keratosis (Solar Keratosis) (Logical Images)
• Anyone Can Get Skin Cancer (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Risks of Skin Cancer Screening (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Sunscreens FAQs (American Academy of Dermatology)

Specifics

• Basal Cell Carcinoma (American Academy of Dermatology)
• Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP) (American Academy of Dermatology)
• Eyelid Cancer (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
• General Information about Merkel Cell Carcinoma (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Merkel Cell Carcinoma (American Academy of Dermatology)
• Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
• Sebaceous Carcinoma (American Academy of Dermatology)
• Skin Cancer of the Hand and Upper Extremity (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Skin Cancers of the Feet (American Podiatric Medical Association)
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma (American Academy of Dermatology)

Genetics

• Genetics Home Reference: 9q22.3 microdeletion (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Gorlin syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: xeroderma pigmentosum (National Library of Medicine)
• Learning about Skin Cancer (National Human Genome Research Institute)

Images

• Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) (Logical Images)

Health Check Tools

• "Suntelligence" Survey (American Academy of Dermatology)

Statistics and Research

• For Some Skin Cancers, Targeted Drug Hits the Mark (National Cancer Institute)
• Skin Cancer (American Academy of Dermatology)
• Skin Cancer Trends (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• What's New in Research and Treatment of Basal and Squamous Cell Skin Cancers? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Carcinoma, Basal Cell (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Carcinoma, Merkel Cell (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Keratosis, Actinic (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Skin Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Why Merkel Cell Cancer Is Garnering More Attention.
• Article: How to Promote SUN Safety.
• Article: Behavioral Counseling to Prevent Skin Cancer: US Preventive Services Task...
• Skin Cancer -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American Academy of Dermatology
• American Cancer Society
• Find a Cancer Doctor (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
• Find a Dermatologic Surgeon (American Society for Dermatologic Surgery)
• Find a Dermatologist (American Academy of Dermatology)
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
• Organizations That Offer Support Services (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Basal cell carcinoma (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Mohs micrographic surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Skin lesion biopsy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Skin self-exam (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Squamous cell skin cancer (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• What to Know about External Beam Radiation Therapy (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish