Skin cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in the United States and accounts for about 4% of all cancer deaths.[1] In 2009, it is estimated that 68,720 individuals in the United States will develop melanoma and approximately 8,650 are expected to die of it.[2]

There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma (together with basal cell carcinoma referred to as nonmelanoma skin cancer), and melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the most common forms of skin cancer but have substantially better prognoses than the less common but generally more aggressive melanoma.

The incidence of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer appears to be increasing,[3,4] though melanoma incidence rates may have stabilized in the 1990s.[5] Epidemiologic evidence suggests that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and the sensitivity of an individual’s skin to UV radiation are risk factors for skin cancer, though the type of exposure (high-intensity and short-duration vs. chronic exposure) and pattern of exposure (continuous vs. intermittent) may differ among the three main types of skin cancer.[3,4,6]

The visible evidence of susceptibility to skin cancer (skin type and precancerous lesions) and of sun-induced skin damage (sunburn and solar keratoses) and the ability of an individual to modify sun exposure provide the basis for implementation of programs for the primary prevention of skin cancer.

References

1. American Cancer Society.: Cancer Facts and Figures 2006. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society, 2006. Also available online. ¹ Last accessed May 28, 2009. 
   
   
2. American Cancer Society.: Cancer Facts and Figures 2009. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society, 2009. Also available online ². Last accessed September 8, 2009. 
   
   
3. Koh HK: Cutaneous melanoma. N Engl J Med 325 (3): 171-82, 1991.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
4. Preston DS, Stern RS: Nonmelanoma cancers of the skin. N Engl J Med 327 (23): 1649-62, 1992.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
5. Hall HI, Miller DR, Rogers JD, et al.: Update on the incidence and mortality from melanoma in the United States. J Am Acad Dermatol 40 (1): 35-42, 1999.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
6. English DR, Armstrong BK, Kricker A, et al.: Case-control study of sun exposure and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. Int J Cancer 77 (3): 347-53, 1998.  [PUBMED Abstract]