In 2022, 14,319 people in South Africa were diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer. Two other skin cancers – squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma – also featured in the 10 most common cancer diagnoses that year.
In South Africa, high levels of ultraviolet radiation from the sun put residents at greater risk of developing skin cancer.
Basal and squamous cell carcinomas are also known as non-melanoma cancers, which means they can usually be treated successfully if they are detected early enough. Melanoma, which can start as a new growth or in an existing mole, is considered more serious because of how quickly it spreads.
About a quarter of diagnosed cancers were prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women, according to the National Cancer Registry.
Nearly 4% of cancers diagnosed had spread so extensively at the time of diagnosis that their origin could not be determined.