National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute
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What You Need To Know About™ Skin Cancer
    Posted: 07/30/2009
About This Booklet

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 1.

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 2 at http://www.cancer.gov/cis.

*Words that may be new to readers appear in italics. The "Dictionary 3" section explains these terms. Some words in the "Dictionary" have a "sounds-like" spelling to show how to pronounce them.



Dictionary Terms

cancer (KAN-ser)
A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and can invade nearby tissues. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems. There are several main types of cancer. Carcinoma is a cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs. Sarcoma is a cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue. Leukemia is a cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood. Lymphoma and multiple myeloma are cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system. Central nervous system cancers are cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord. Also called malignancy.


Table of Links

1http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/melanoma
2http://www.cancer.gov/Common/popUps/livehelp.aspx
3http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary