What Is Skin Cancer?

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Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers yet it's also one of the most easily prevented and easily treated. If you have the right information, you stand a very good chance of being able to protect yourself from skin cancer. Use the Skin Cancer Web Guide to learn what skin cancer is, what the risk factors and causes are, and how you can prevent and treat it.

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What Is Skin Cancer?

There are three types of skin cancer: basal cell, squamous cell and melanoma. Although the first two are far more prevalent, melanoma is more serious and causes more deaths. The sites below can give you an introduction to skin cancer, whether you're working on prevention or dealing with a diagnosis.

Insights for Skin Cancer

Don't be surprised if you find overlap in information for the three kinds of cancer. In fact, as you read over these sites you might notice more similarities than differences.

Although precancerous growths and cancer are two different things, precancerous growths still require a visit to the dermatologist.

For additional research, support and information about cancer in general, read the findingDulcinea Cancer Web Guide.

Top Sites for Skin Cancer

For general information on melanomas ...

Melanoma.com defines melanoma, the most serious kind of skin cancer. Find out where on the body melanoma appears in both men and women, and read about the diagnostic process. Take advantage of the site's skin cancer glossary as a supplement to your research.

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OncoLink is a cancer Web site run by the University of Pennsylvania explaining melanomas and what they look like, the risk factors and common treatments.

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American Cancer Society presents a PDF document, "Why You Should Know About Melanoma." It outlines the dangers of melanoma, defines risk groups and teaches you what to look for in terms of self-diagnosis.

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For general information about other kinds of skin cancer ...

Skin Cancer Foundation gives a brief description of squamous and basal cell carcinomas, the two non-melanoma skin cancers.

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MedlinePlus has a concise but comprehensive description of basal cell skin cancer, as well as a picture of what's going on under the skin when this cancer is present. The site has a similar page for squamous cell cancer.

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National Cancer Institute provides information about Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare kind of skin cancer that's usually a result of sun damage.

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