Skin cancer: non-melanoma

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common malignancy in fair-skinned populations. In Australia, NMSC is four times as common as all other cancers combined with an incidence of ~1000 per 100 000 person-years. The vast majority of NMSC are basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), which rarely metastasize, or squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), which do have metastatic potential, especially in immune-suppressed individuals. Because of their high frequency in the general population, and particularly in older people, NMSCs are likely to occur in many general oncology patients. Skin cancer risk can be additionally increased in oncology patients as a result of disease-induced immune suppression (e.g., non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma) or by a range of cancer treatments including iatrogenic immune suppression, radiation therapy, arsenic, and BRAF inhibitors. Interestingly, chronic stress suppresses skin immune responses and increases susceptibility to UV-induced SCC in murine models.