Non-melanoma skin cancer refers to a group of skin cancers that affect the upper layers of skin. The term 'non-melanoma' distinguishes these generally more common kinds of skin cancer from the less common, aggressive skin cancer known as melanoma.
Types of non-melanoma skin cancer
Non-melanoma skin cancers are usually named after the type of skin cell from which they develop. The two most common types of non-melanoma skin cancer are:
- basal cell carcinoma
- squamous cell carcinoma
The information in this section focuses on these types of non-melanoma skin cancer.
Other rarer types include:
- Kaposi's sarcoma
- cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (also known as Mycosis fungoides)
- Merkel cell cancer
The most significant risk factor for developing either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma is overexposure to sunlight. The use of sunbeds and sunlamps can also increase your risk of developing non-melanoma skin cancer, as well as the most serious type of skin cancer, melanoma.
How common is non-melanoma skin cancer?
Non-melanoma skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world. There are an estimated 100,000 new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer every year in the UK.
Basal cell carcinomas account for around 80% of all cases of skin cancer, and squamous cell carcinomas account for 10% of all cases.
Outlook
The outlook for non-melanoma skin cancer is usually very good. Unlike most other types of cancer, there is a considerably lower risk that the cancer will spread to other parts of the body (known as metastasis).
It is estimated that basal cell carcinoma will spread to other parts of the body in less than 0.5% of cases. The risk is slightly higher in cases of squamous cell carcinoma, which spreads to other parts of the body in about 4% of cases.
Approximately 90% of people with basal cell carcinoma will achieve a complete cure. Between 70% and 90% of people with squamous cell carcinoma will be completely cured.
Treatments for non-melanoma skin cancer include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
