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Types of Skin CancerThe three most common types of skin cancer are squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. While they are all considered "skin cancer" because they arise in the skin, these skin cancer types arise from different cell types and can be quite different in their pathology and affect on the patient. Therefore, not all "skin cancer" is created equal. Besides the common three, other forms of cancer can involve the skin but are not generally considered skin cancers themselves because they do not primarily originate in the skin itself. They can involve the skin either by spreading to the skin (metastasis) or growing from nearby structures. Some forms which can involve the skin, such as Kaposi's Sarcoma, are rare and can involve other organs as well and therefore are not primarily considered a skin cancer. The three forms of skin cancer discussed below vary on their pathology (their appearance under a microscope) and the cell types they originate from.
Types of Skin CancerBasal Cell Carcinoma: Originating from the bottom layer of cells in the epidermis, this is the most common of the types of skin cancer, probably accounting for more than 90% of all cancers of the skin in the US. Luckily, basal cell is also the least dangerous form of cancer that affects the skin. Basal cell tends to grow slowly. While it can cause destruction of local tissues as it grows, it generally takes a very long time to get to considerable size. In that time, most people bring the small tumor to a doctor's attention when it can still be treated. Additionally, basal cell very rarely spreads to distant organs (metastasize). Generally, the prognosis for basal cell is very good unless it goes untreated for a long period of time.Squamous Cell Carcinoma: This form of skin cancer is more aggressive than basal cell carcinoma but is still relatively slow growing. While it can rarely (but more commonly than basal cell) spread to distant sites, it generally does so slowly. Most commonly, it first spreads to local lymph nodes. If the cancer grows for a long time, it does have the capability to spread to distant organs. Malignant Melanoma: By far the most dangerous and aggressive of the three skin cancer types, melanoma arises from melanocytes the pigment producing cells in the bottom of the epidermis. This form of cancer is very fast growing and has a tendancy to spread (metastasize) to distant sites in the body very readily. In fact, some patients present with symptoms of the metastases before they even recognize that they have a skin cancer. Therefore, this form of skin cancer is very dangerous and can be very difficult to treat. It is potentially fatal unless caught very early and before it has spread significantly. Fortunately, it is also the rarest form of primary skin cancer.
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