Skin cancer and its prevention

Cancer is the commonest cause of death in people aged 50–64; one in four people die of cancer (Office of National Statistics, 2009). Skin cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the UK, and rates of melanoma have risen faster than any other major cancer (Cancer Research UK, 2009a). The All Party Parliamentary Group on Skin (APPGS, 2003) enquiry into the treatment, management and prevention of skin cancer reports that the incidence of skin cancer has doubled within the last 20 years. The incidence and referral rate for skin cancer is also rising, due to greater public awareness. Lack of education and training in skin cancer by GPs is highlighted in the APPGS (2003) enquiry. The APPGS (2008) highlights the need for emphasis being placed on improving education amongst all those who have contact with people with skin conditions and especially in primary care. Nurses have a key role in skin cancer prevention, detection and in the support and treatment of those who develop skin cancer. Specifically, the APPGS argue for each dermatology unit having a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) in skin cancer at a ratio of one full-time employee per 160,000 of the population (APPGS, 2008). This section introduces the epidemiology of skin cancer and locates this within the UK policy context. Three main sections then follow, embracing key diagnostic groupings of pre- and cancerous skin lesions; these include pre- malignant skin lesions, non-melanoma skin lesions and melanoma. The final section outlines the causation, risk prevention and early detection of skin cancer and the key role nurses and other health professionals can play, especially, in primary care.