Skin cancer is now more common than all human cancers combined.
Over a million people are expected to be diagnosed this year with either basal or squamous cell skin cancer. Actinic keratoses, a precancerous condition, is also very common in older people. Melanoma, although less common than the other two major skin cancers, is the most dangerous. The nonmelanoma skin cancers, however, are associated with an increased risk of dying from other cancers, including melanoma, lung cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, bladder cancer, and leukemia, and cancers of the testes and prostate in men and breast in women. By far the most significant risk factor for all skin cancer is exposure to UV radiation, although other factors include a family history of the disease, a suppressed immune system, and chronic exposure to certain toxic compounds such as creosote, radium and arsenic.