Skip the main content if you do not want to read it as the next section.
General information on skin cancer
Skin cancer is the second most common cancer in the UK, and it is on the increase. Fortunately, if found early, most cases are completely curable, and very few skin cancers turn out to be serious. This makes it very important to recognise the early signs and to seek medical advice if you are concerned. You cannot catch skin cancer from someone else.
There are different types of skin cancer:
- Non-melanoma skin cancers
- Basal cell carcinoma
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Melanoma
Non-melanoma skin cancers
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are called non-melanoma skin cancers. They are the most common types of skin cancer. They are less serious than melanoma, and very rarely cause death. Skin cancer can be a mixture of both of these types of cancer.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer.
We have a section of detailed information about Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and a page of photographs of Basal Cell Carcinoma.
About 2 in 10 non-melanoma skin cancers are squamous cell carcinoma.
We have a section of detailed information about Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) and a page of photographs of Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Melanoma
Melanoma is the rarest, but most serious form of skin cancer. It accounts for about 1 in 10 new cases of skin cancer, but for three-quarters of the deaths. However, it is readily curable if treated early on.
We have a section of detailed information about Melanoma and a page of photographs of Melanoma.
