About Skin Cancer

Types of Skin Cancer
Three main types of skin cancer exist that are named after the cell types in which they arise: melanoma, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). These 3 types of cancer fall into two categories: melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer¹.

Melanoma
Malignant Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer as it has the tendency to metastasise to other parts of the body, however, if detected early there is a greater than 90% chance of successful treatment. Each year around 8,500 Australians are diagnosed with malignant melanoma and around 1,000 will die as a result of this disease¹.
Non Melanoma Skin Cancer
Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) comprises both BCC and SCC and is rarely life threatening but if left untreated can cause extensive damage to surrounding organs and structures. More than 374,000 Australians (1.9% of the population) are treated for NMSC each year, but only around 300 deaths (0.1%) are attributed to this type of cancer. Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) accounts for around 70% of all NMSC^1,3,4, and is the most frequent human cancer.