Significance
Skin cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer in the United States
and accounts for about 4% of all cancer deaths.[1] In 2008,
it is estimated that 62,480 individuals in the United States will develop melanoma and approximately 8,420 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
-
American Cancer Society.: Cancer Facts and Figures 2006. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society, 2006. Also available online. Last accessed January 18, 2008.
-
American Cancer Society.: Cancer Facts and Figures 2008. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society, 2008. Also available online. Last accessed October 1, 2008.
-
Koh HK: Cutaneous melanoma. N Engl J Med 325 (3): 171-82, 1991.
[PUBMED Abstract]
-
Preston DS, Stern RS: Nonmelanoma cancers of the skin. N Engl J Med 327 (23): 1649-62, 1992.
[PUBMED Abstract]
-
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]
-
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]
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