Understanding Skin Cancer
Living in the Sunshine State is wonderful, but too much of a good thing can cause skin damage, including skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the US. It begins on the outer layer of skin, called the epidermis, and is most often caused by overexposure to UV light including sunlight and artificial UV light from tanning beds. However, skin cancer can appear anywhere on your body even if it wasn’t exposed heavily to UV light.
The main types of skin cancer include:
- Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
- Basal cell carcinoma (BCC)
- Melanoma
Melanoma is the least common type of skin cancer but tends to spread quicker than squamous cell or basal cell carcinomas.
If you have already received a skin cancer diagnosis, reviewing this section's important information about diagnosis, staging, and treatment options is a good first step before meeting with the oncologist. At Cancer Care Centers of Brevard you will have a team of skin cancer specialists working together to determine the best treatment options after learning more about your specific type of skin cancer and your lifestyle. And remember to protect yourself while you’re outside. It goes a long way to reduce your risk of developing additional new skin cancers in the future.
