There are differences in the types of cancer that can form in the skin, and such malignancies can form anywhere on the body, although they are most commonly found in the areas that sunlight frequently touches, such as the face, ears, arms, neck and hands. But skin cancer also can occur in those areas that are hard to see and rarely are exposed to the sun, including in the backs of the knees, palms, beneath the fingernails or toenails, and in the genital area.
Beyond a visual examination of your skin, there are specific tests that can be performed to diagnose which type you may have formed.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common. Both are termed nonmelanoma skin cancers, and they typically don’t spread elsewhere beyond the initial area of affliction. Melanoma skin cancer can spread, but it is the rarest form of skin cancer.
Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer. There are more than 5 million people treated annually for the disease, which is more than the combined amount of people who have lung, prostate, breast and colon cancer. In the past 30 years, there have been more cases of skin cancer than all other cancers combined, with about 20 percent of all Americans expected to develop it at some point in their lives, according to American Cancer Society statistics.