National Cancer Institute
U.S. National Institutes of Health | www.cancer.gov

NCI Home
Cancer Topics
Clinical Trials
Cancer Statistics
Research & Funding
News
About NCI

What You Need To Know About™

Skin Cancer

    Posted: 08/01/2005



Introduction






The Skin






Understanding Skin Cancer






Risk Factors






Prevention






Symptoms






Diagnosis






Staging






Treatment






Follow-up Care






Sources of Support






The Promise of Cancer Research






How To Do a Skin Self-Exam






National Cancer Institute Information Resources






National Cancer Institute Publications



Page Options
Print This Page
Print This Document
View Entire Document
E-Mail This Document
View/Print PDF
Order Free Copy
Quick Links
Director's Corner

Dictionary of Cancer Terms

NCI Drug Dictionary

Funding Opportunities

NCI Publications

Advisory Boards and Groups

Science Serving People

Español
Quit Smoking Today
NCI Highlights
Report to Nation Finds Declines in Cancer Incidence, Death Rates

High Dose Chemotherapy Prolongs Survival for Leukemia

Prostate Cancer Study Shows No Benefit for Selenium, Vitamin E

The Nation's Investment in Cancer Research FY 2009

Past Highlights
Introduction

This National Cancer Institute (NCI) booklet has important information about skin cancer.* Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in this country. About one million Americans develop skin cancer each year.

You will read about causes and ways to prevent skin cancer. You will find information about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. You will also learn how to do a skin self-exam.

Scientists are studying skin cancer to find out more about how it develops. And they are looking for better ways to prevent and treat it.

There are many types of skin cancer. This booklet is about the two most common types, basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer. These are sometimes called nonmelanoma skin cancer. A much less common type of skin cancer, melanoma, is not discussed in this booklet. To learn about this disease, see the NCI booklet What You Need To Know About Melanoma.

NCI provides information about cancer, including the publications mentioned in this booklet. You can order these materials by telephone or on the Internet. You can also read them on the Internet and print your own copy.

  • Telephone (1-800-4-CANCER): Information Specialists at NCI's Cancer Information Service can answer your questions about cancer. They also can send NCI booklets, fact sheets, and other materials.
  • Internet (http://www.cancer.gov): You can use NCI's Web site to find a wide range of up-to-date information. For example, you can find many NCI booklets and fact sheets at http://www.cancer.gov/publications. People in the United States and its territories may use this Web site to order printed copies. This Web site also explains how people outside the United States can mail or fax their requests for NCI booklets.
  • You can ask questions online and get help right away from Information Specialists through LiveHelp at http://www.cancer.gov/cis.


*Words that may be new to readers appear in italics. The "Dictionary" section explains these terms. Some words in the "Dictionary" have a "sounds-like" spelling to show how to pronounce them.

Next Section >


A Service of the National Cancer Institute
Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health USA.gov