Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. It is estimated that more than 3.5 million new cases are diagnosed each year — more than all other cancers combined.

One in five Americans will get skin cancer in their lifetimes. Skin cancers can affect your health, as well as be disfiguring. The best way to find skin cancer before it becomes a serious problem, is by checking your skin regularly. Most of the brownish spots on your skin – freckles, moles, and birthmarks – are normal, but some may be skin cancers. It is important to look for changes in these spots or the appearance of new spots when checking your skin. See more on skin self-examination here: Screening and Early Detection

There are two main categories of skin cancer:

• Nonmelanoma skin cancer
• Melanoma

Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

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The most common form of skin cancer is nonmelanoma skin cancer, also known as keratinocyte carcinoma (KC). The two major types of nonmelanoma skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Find out more about basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma and how we treat them at the Arizona Cancer Center.

Melanoma

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The most serious form of skin cancer is melanoma. Melanoma skin cancer occurs much less often than the nonmelanoma skin cancers, but causes more deaths. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), over 100,000 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed this year, and over 8,000 people will die from the disease. Melanoma incidence rates have been increasing for at least 30 years and continue to increase by almost 3% each year. 

Learn more about melanoma and how we treat it at The University of Arizona Cancer Center.

Additional information about melanoma: 

• American Academy of Dermatology