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Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Study

While skin cancer has always been associated with melanoma, cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are becoming increasingly common. Each year, about a million people in the United States learn that they have skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S. 40 to 50% of Americans who live to age 65 will have skin cancer at least once. Now a new study shows the rates of two types of skin cancer--basal cell and squamous cell cancer--are on the rise, turning up much more frequently in very young people. Dr. Ann Dacko, a dermatologic surgeon at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, says, “Most people develop skin cancer around the age of 50 or later, both men and women. Recently however I’ve had many more patients, patients in their twenties, and thirties have developed non-melanoma skin cancer. It’s not lethal but it still is a cancer.”

Understand, we’re not talking about melanoma. While melanoma equals skin cancer, skin cancer does not necessarily mean melanoma. In fact, the two most common kinds of skin cancer are basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer--two so called non-melanoma skin cancers which this study looked at. Basal cell cancer, is slow growing, and rarely spreads to other parts of the body.

Still, skin cancers need to be found and treated because even the slowest growing can invade and destroy nearby tissue, including the bone. "Squamous cell cancers can be very disfiguring. If left untreated it can spread throughout the body," says Dr. Dacko. Elizabeth McAuliffe is only 32, and, in her young life, has already had numerous skin cancers. 'I was 25 when I was first diagnosed with the first basal cell in my stomach. I’ve had a total of five removed, and I have a sixth one that needs to come off," says Elizabeth.

 Since 1975 basal cell cancer rates doubled among women under the age of 40. And squamous cell cancer rates became seven times more frequent among women. "It doesn’t surprise me at all. I think many people are out in the sun much more often. They’re spending a lot of time at the beach and a lot of time in tanning salons,' comments Dr. Dacko. Treating non-melanoma skin cancers in the Medicare population, an older population, costs the U.S. $426 million each year.

An increase in the frequency of these cancers in younger people, along with the aging of the baby boomers could mean many more cancers in the elderly, and as a result, even more of an increase in medical costs. 35 to 50% of people diagnosed with one basal cell cancer develop a new skin cancer within 5 years of the first diagnosis. Elizabeth wishes she hadn’t worshipped the sun so much. "I put the sunscreen on every half hour before going out and I start reapplying every hour," Elizabeth says.

 For more information on basal cell cancers and squamous cell cancers, go to http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_skin_cancer_51.asp

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