Mayo Clinic Data: Two Forms of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer on the Rise

Two types of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) have increased significantly in recent years, according to a new report in  the June 2017 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Specifically, there was a 263 percent in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 145 percent in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) between 2000 and 2010.

Of note, there is a disproportionate increase in the incidence of both tumors in women, as well as a shift of anatomical distributions. Women had the greatest increase in incidence rates for both BCC and cSCC, and the anatomical distribution of tumors shifted to the torso for BCC and to the extremities for cSCC, the study showed.

The incidence rates for both BCC and cSCC were higher in younger women than in younger men in the study, which is different than in previous studies, in which the incidence rates of cSCC were higher in younger men than in younger women. “As NMSC incidence rates increase, an emphasis on education, prevention, and surveillance strategies is imperative, and an accurate, accessible national database is needed,” the study authors conclude.