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Skin cancer strikes men and women of all ages and races. According to the National Cancer Institute, nearly half of all Americans who live to age 65 will have skin cancer at least once.

Every year, more than a million people in this country develop some form of superficial skin cancer - basal-cell or squamous-cell. These cancers are readily treated, but they signal damage that might lead to the life-threatening skin cancer known as melanoma.

Largely because of the yen for a "glamorous" tan, melanoma is increasing faster than any other cancer in the United States. Melanoma is already the most common cancer for women aged 25 to 29 and the second most common cancer for women 30-34. Without early treatment, melanoma doesn't limit itself to the skin, but can spread to other organs in the body.

Research shows a link between sunburns during childhood and adolescence and an increased risk of melanoma and other skin cancers in adults. In addition, people whose parents, brothers or sisters have had melanoma may have inherited a susceptibility to the disease.

Reprinted with permission from Fox Chase Cancer Center.