Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Mortality

Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is among the most common cancers in the world. The vast majority of NMSC are the keratinocyte malignancies, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In the United States, NMSC is by far the most common cancer site, with about 1 000 000 cases diagnosed annually, approximately equal in frequency to all other cancer sites combined (Miller and Weinstock 1994). Furthermore, the incidence of BCC and SCC appear to be increasing in North America (Gallagher et al. 1990), as well as in Europe (Coebergh et al. 1991; Mangus 1991; Wallberg and Skog 1991; Dahl et al. 1992; Ko et al. 1994; Levi et al. 1995) and Australia (Kaldor et al. 1993; Marks et al. 1993). This increase has generally been attributed to increases in sun exposure, particularly among light-skinned populations. Indeed, the other major sun-induced malignancy, malignant melanoma, has also been increasing rapidly in incidence (Weinstock 1993a).