Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Nearly 10,000 people receive a skin cancer diagnosis every day. And roughly 20 percent of Americans will develop some type of skin cancer in their lives.

At Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute’s Multidisciplinary Skin Cancer Clinic, our skin cancer specialists work as a team to screen, diagnose and treat your skin cancer. We rely on leading-edge technologies to detect skin cancer in its earliest stages. And we use advanced techniques to deliver personalized treatment for your specific type of cancer.

Alternative Text

What Is Skin Cancer?

Skin cancer is the general term used for cancerous (malignant) cells that develop in your skin’s tissues. Skin cancer can develop anywhere on your body. But it usually develops on parts of your body most exposed to sunlight like your head, face, neck and hands.

Anyone exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light can develop skin cancer. But some characteristics put you at greater risk. These include:

  • Blonde or red hair
  • Blue or green eyes
  • Certain types and a large number of moles
  • Family history of skin cancer
  • Lighter natural skin color
  • Person history of skin cancer
  • Older age
  • Skin that burns, freckles, gets red easily or becomes painful in the sun

Latino and Black Americans can face additional risk factors. It’s a common misconception that these groups don’t get skin cancer due to their darker skin tones. In fact, treating skin cancer in patients with darker skin tones can be more challenging. In many cases, their cancers are overlooked and are undiagnosed until the later stages.

Our Approach to Skin Cancer Care

Our Approach to Skin Cancer Care

There are many types of skin cancer. They each have different risk factors, symptoms and prevention strategies. That means you need a personalized approach to your care. Our skin cancer specialists will consider your genetic makeup and the stage and location of your cancer cells when creating your treatment plan.

Our multidisciplinary team works with other world-renowned cancer researchers to design your care plan. We incorporate groundbreaking discoveries and use the latest skin cancer monitoring and detection tools, such as Vectra 3D Whole Body Photo-Imaging. We also use Reflectance Confocal Microscopy (RCM), a noninvasive, laser-powered imaging technique that determines whether your skin lesion should be biopsied.

Rare Skin Cancers

The skin cancer specialists at our Multidisciplinary Skin Cancer Clinic have the expertise to treat a full range of skin cancers, including the rarest forms. These types of cancers include:

  • Adnexal tumors (sebaceous carcinoma, pilomatrix carcinoma, porocarcinoma, digital papillary adenocarcinoma)
  • Atypical fibroxanthoma
  • Kaposi sarcoma

  • 1 in 5

    Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70
  • 92%

    The average five-year survival rate across all melanomas
  • 5

    Year survival rate for melanoma is 99 percent when detected early

Learn more about the most common types of skin cancer:

Tumor Board

Tumor Board

Our multidisciplinary team of cancer experts meets weekly to discuss certain complex skin cancer cases and decide the best course of care. This group includes surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, plastic reconstructive surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, genetic counselors, medical geneticists, social workers, patient navigators and clinical trials staff. Experts in bone marrow transplant and hematologic oncology also participate in these conversations.

Meet the Team

At Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute, our multidisciplinary team includes experts that can treat every type of skin cancer. Each member of your care team will work closely with you to develop an effective treatment plan that fits your unique needs.

Surgical Oncologist

Mohs Surgical Oncologist

Radiation Oncologists

Dermatologists

Plastic Surgeons

Photo of Naiara Braghiroli, M.D., Ph.D.
With Vectra we have a baseline set of photographs that helps the dermatologist monitor the patient’s moles over time, then you can find new concerning lesions and possible skin cancer in its early phase.

Have questions?

We're here to help answer any questions you or your family may have.

Language Preference / Preferencia de idioma

I want to see the site in English

Continue In English

Quiero ver el sitio en Español

Continuar en español