Incisional biopsy of skin lesion

SKIN CANCER

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in humans. There are three main types. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common, with over 1 million cases diagnosed in the United States in the year 2000. Basal cell carcinoma is locally destructive with an extremely low rate of metastasis. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common type of skin cancer. It is more lethal than basal cell carcinoma with an overall rate of metastasis of between 1 and 5 percent. Malignant melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer. With an incidence of nearly fifty thousand cases in the United States each year, melanoma results in nearly eight thousand fatalities, often striking young adults. Sun exposure is the major risk factor for the development of skin cancer. Surgical removal is the treatment of choice, and sun protection has been shown to dramatically reduce the incidence of this illness.

GREGG M. MENAKER

(SEE ALSO: Cancer; Melanoma; Ultraviolet Radiation)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Koh, H. K.; Barnhill, R. L.; and Rogers, G. S. (1996). "Melanoma." In Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, eds. K. A. Arndt, P. E. Leboit, J. K. Robinson, and B. U. Weintroub. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.

Leshin, B., and White, W. (1996). "Malignant Neoplasms of Keratinocytes." In Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, eds. K. A. Arndt, P. E. Leboit, J. K. Robinson, and B. U. Weintroub. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.

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Author Info: GREGG M. MENAKER, The Gale Group Inc., Macmillan Reference USA, New York, Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health, 2002

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