Dr. Elizabeth Anderson, a board-certified dermatologist with Knoxville Institute of Dermatology in Knoxville, Tennessee, gave a lecture on skin cancer to the Family Medicine Department at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville this week.  Dr. Anderson spoke to resident physicians and attending physicians on basal cell skin cancer, squamous cell skin cancer, and melanoma.  Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and the role of primary care physicians in detecting skin cancer is critical in early detection.You can learn more about basal cell carcinoma (skin cancer) from the American Academy of Dermatology by clicking here.  In 2010, almost three million cases of basal cell carcinoma were diagnosed in the United States.  Basal cell carcinoma is the most commonly found type of cancer. Almost one-third of new cancers are skin cancers, and the majority are basal cells.You can learn more about squamous cell carcinoma (skin cancer) from the American Academy of Dermatology by clicking here.   In 2012, approximately 700,000 cases of squamous cell carcinoma were diagnosed in the U.S., and between 4,000 and 9,000 cases were fatal.  Incidence of squamous cell has increased by almost 200 percent over the last 30 years in the U.S.You can learn more about melanoma (skin cancer) from the American Academy of Dermatology by clicking here.  Melanoma causes the most skin cancer deaths. In 2016, an estimated 76,380 cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the United States.  Approximately 46,870 will be diagnosed in males and 29,510 will be diagnosed in women.Everyone should examine their own skin for any signs of skin cancer and should have any suspicious lesions examined by a dermatologist.  Early detection is the key to successfully treating all forms of skin cancer.