Psychodermato-oncology and stress

Abstract

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer around the world affecting specially fair-skinned populations. There are three types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and melanoma, originating from three major types of cells in the epidermis. Stress can affect, reveal or even exacerbate a number of skin disorders. Stress suppresses immune function and increases susceptibility to infections and skin cancers. In the other hand, receiving the diagnosis of skin cancer can be a stressful event and patients may go through an array of emotional reactions including anxiety and depression. This chapter presents the correlation of skin cancers and stress in different manners.