Any change in an existing wart , mole , or other skin lesion , or development of a new growth that ulcerates and does not heal well, could indicate the development of a skin cancer . Skin cancer has a high cure rate if treated early, but neglect can allow the cancer to spread, causing disability or death.
Malignant melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer.
It is also the least common. However, the incidence has doubled in the United States in the last 20 years. It is the leading cause of death from skin disease. Approximately 35,000 cases of malignant melanoma occurred in the United States in 1990, making it one of the most common forms of cancer that year. Melanoma is the number one cancer in young women under age 35.