Skin câncer: the importance of diagnosis, treatment and prevention

Abstract

Skin cancer is the most common disease in Caucasian all over the world. The non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is responsible for more than 90% of all skin cancer. Data presents that the incidence of NMSC is currently increasing each year, especially among young people. The squamous cell carcinoma represents 25% of all NMSC and the basal cell carcinoma is more often diagnosed, corresponding 70% of the cases and may affect more than 1 million people every year. These estimates are increasing worldwide, and in Brazil this is not different. Only for this year, it has been estimated almost 200.000 new cases of NMSC, detecting an increase of 88% in the risk of developing NMSC after four years. Therefore, the physicians must be alert to identify a lesion of NMSC and to treat it correctly in order to avoid recurrence and persistence of the tumor. Considering that each NMSC lesions is one of a kind and its treatment must be directed to each patients, surgical and non-surgical techniques are been developed to reach the complete remission of the tumor, preserving the normal tissue, the function of the area committed by the tumor and to achieve a better aesthetic outcome. Therefore, learning about the NMSC development, diagnostic and treatment could impact in health system and contribute to prevent new cases.