Skin Cancer Health Topics Clinical Trials Health Links Skin Cancer Skin cancer strikes more people worldwide than any other form of cancer. In the United States alone, one million Americans will be diagnosed with the disease this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Skin cancer is a malignant tumor that grows in the skin cells.
In the beginning stages, basal carcinoma tumors look like small, shiny, raised bumps on the skin that occasionally bleed. Squamous Cell Carcinoma Squamous cell carcinoma accounts for about 20 percent of all skin cancers. Although more aggressive than basal cell carcinoma, this cancer is highly treatable. Squamous cell carcinoma, which starts in the middle layer of the epidermis, looks like a red, scaly area of skin. Squamous cell carcinoma eventually becomes an open sore.