ABSTRACT
Presently, one in six Americans will acquire skin cancer at some point in their lifetime, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. Skin cancer has now reached an alarming magnitude worldwide [1]. The three most common types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and cutaneous malignant melanoma. Basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma collectively compromise the group of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) [2]. NMSC is the most common type of cancer seen in the white Caucasian population in the United States [3]. Of all the NMSCs, BCC, the abnormal growth of epidermal keratinocytes directly above the basement membrane [4], is the most frequently occurring cancer [5]. This chapter will review the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of BCe.
