The patches may crust, discharge pus, and sometimes bleed. If not treated early, SCC may spread to other parts of the body. Less than one percent of people with SCC or BCC will die from skin cancer. For many people, these two skin cancers can cause some disfigurement based on the amount of damaged skin the physician must remove. Luckily, the negative effects of surgery can be greatly minimized when the diseases are treated in their early stages.
Malignant melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer.
It often arises from or near a mole. It often appears on parts of the body which receive little direct sunlight. There are four basic warning signs that should prompt individuals to visit their physician, especially a dermatologist. Melanoma rates have increased three to four percent each year since at least the early eighties. Funding for the Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section Web site comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.