Thousands of people are diagnosed with skin cancer in the UK every year. Cancer Research UK figures show there are roughly 17.500 new melanoma skin cancer cases in the UK every year - that is 48 a day.
It is the fifth most common cancer in the country and latest figures, from 2017-19, show it accounts for 5% of all new cancer cases. But with early detection and attention to personal care, it’s preventable, highly treatable, and in many cases, curable. “The three most common types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma,” said Dr.
Charlene Lam , a dermatologist at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center . “Those are the ones that you hear about most often, and they probably represent 90 to 95% of the skin cancers out there.
” Most cases of skin cancer are as a result of overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, triggering the formation of abnormal cells. In the UK four out of five skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma. This often starts as a pink bump, which can bleed and doesn’t heal, Dr Lam said.
“Squamous cell looks like a bump that can be dry, red and scaly,” she said. “Melanoma is a pigmented lesion ― a dark spot that’s grown. Although it’s the least common of the skin cancers, melanoma gets a lot of press because of the high mortality.
” It’s good practice, Lam said, to consider the acronym ABCDE help identify irregular lesions: Dr Lam went on to explain the value of being aware of .