Cancer of the skin (including melanoma and basal and squamous cell skin cancers) is the most common of all types of cancer. It is thought to account for at least half of all cancers.

The number of people who develop basal and squamous cell skin cancers each year is not known for certain. Statistics of most other cancers are known because they are reported to cancer registries, but basal and squamous cell skin cancers are not reported. This means that all the numbers presented here are estimates.

There are more than 1 million basal and squamous cell skin cancers diagnosed each year. Most of these (about 800,000 to 900,000) are basal cell cancers. Squamous cell cancers occur less often -- perhaps about 200,000 to 300,000 per year.

The number of these cancers has been increasing for many years. This is probably due to a combination of increased detection, more sun exposure, and aging of the population.

Death from these cancers is uncommon. It is thought that about 2,000 people die each year from non-melanoma skin cancers. The death rate has dropped about 30% in the past 30 years. Most people who die are elderly. Other people more likely to die of skin cancer are those whose immune system is suppressed, such as those who have received organ transplants.