Skin Cancer

What is skin cancer?

FishermanCancer is a disease of the body’s cells. Occasionally some cells behave in an abnormal way, and grow into a lump called a tumour. A tumour that is not cancerous is called a benign tumour. A tumour which is cancerous is called a malignant tumour.

Skin is the largest organ of the body. There are different layers to skin. The epidermis is the outer or top layer of the skin. Cells produce keratin and melanin. Keratin resists heat, cold and effects of many chemicals. Melanin gives skin its colour and absorbs ultraviolet (UV) light and provides some protection from UV. The epidermis contains three different types of cells: squamous cells, basal cells and melanocytes.

What causes skin cancer?

Skin cancer is mainly caused by cumulative exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sun.

UVR disrupts the cells' genes and can cause them to grow abnormally. If these abnormal cells are not destroyed by the body's natural defence systems, they can develop into skin cancers.

There are three main types of skin cancer named after the type of cells they start from: basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma — known as non-melanocyctic skin cancers — and melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.