In some instances, the cancer may recur, and if the cancer invades distant parts of the body, it can be fatal. The skin is the largest organ of the body. It serves as a barrier to protect your vital organs, bones, and tissues from injury, temperature extremes, and infectious agents. While the skin protects the body, it is not immune to damage within its own tissues. The skin itself can be bruised, cut, chapped, or inflamed, but a bigger threat comes from skin cancer.
Skin cancer is the broad term used to describe various cancers in skin tissue.
Skin has several layers, and skin cancer is classified according to which cells the cancer develops within. The skin's outer layer is called the epidermis, composed of squamous cells, basal cells, and melanocytes. Melanoma develops in the melanocytes, the cells that produce the skin pigment called melanin. Melanin not only gives skin its color, but it also helps to protect the tissue from UV radiation. That's why skin cancer is common among Caucasians but rare in African-Americans.