Skin Cancer
Skin cancer arises when cells in the epidermis and the outer skin begin to grow and multiply abnormally. Skin cancer is primarily caused by unrepaired DNA damage in skin cells, which triggers a mutation. The continued mutation causes the cells to grow and divide uncontrollably, causing malignant tumors. The major known cause of skin cancer is exposure to UV rays directly from the sun or UV tanning machines. In the United States, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, with more than 3 million diagnoses each year.
There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
1. Basal cell carcinoma
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin cancer, accounting for up to 90 percent of skin cancer cases. It is a non-melanoma form of cancer that affects cells located in the inner layer of the epidermis. BCC can take months or years before it grows to become fatal. It also seldom spreads to other body parts from the point of impact. When detected early, BCC is easily treatable. However, if left untreated over a long period, it can grow deeper in the skin, lowering the success of treatment.
2. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
SCC affects the squamous cells that make up the epidermis. The primary cause of SCC is too much exposure to the sun and therefore mostly impacts exposed parts of the body such as the face and hands. Dark-skinned individuals will mostly develop SCC in regions that are not often exposed to the sun. SCC is more aggressive than BCC and begins as red and scaly lesions on the skin.
3. Melanoma
This form of cancer occurs when melanocytes (cells responsible for the production of skin pigment) mutate and start to grow and divide uncontrollably. Melanoma is a rare type of skin cancer, accounting for only one percent of all skin cancer cases. While not as common as BCC and SCC, Melanoma is the most severe type of cancer because it spreads very fast to other parts of the body. As a result, melanoma is very difficult to treat or manage. Melanomas can develop in any part of the skin, but parts exposed to the sun, including the face and hands, are at a higher risk.
Other types of skin cancer include Kaposi Sarcoma, cutaneous lymphomas, and skin adnexal tumors. Luckily the most common forms of skin cancer are non-melanoma and thus treatable with an early diagnosis. Therefore, even with millions of diagnoses yearly, only 1 percent of deaths result from skin cancer.
References
Apalla, Z., Lallas, A., Sotiriou, E., Lazaridou, E., & Ioannides, D. (2017). Epidemiological trends in skin cancer. Dermatology practical & conceptual, 7(2), 1.
Apalla, Z., Nashan, D., Weller, R. B., & Castellsagué, X. (2017). Skin cancer: epidemiology, disease burden, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and therapeutic approaches. Dermatology and therapy, 7(1), 5-19.
Lai, V., Cranwell, W., & Sinclair, R. (2018). Epidemiology of skin cancer in the mature patient. Clinics in Dermatology, 36(2), 167-176.

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