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Skin cancer, especially melanoma, has an increased incidence, from 8 new cases per 100.000 individuals in 1992 at 22.58 new cases at 100.000 individuals in 2009, according to seer.cancer.gov. Besides the increased exposure to risk factors, primarily due to thinning of the ozone layer which filtrates the ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth surface, an important part of this increase of skin cancer incidence is due to the development and implementation of early detection and diagnosis. In the same time, it is registered an increase of patients survival, more important in non-melanoma skin cancers and less spectacular in melanoma. The survival benefit is more important in early stages of the disease and smaller in late stages, observation that permit to conclude that prevention plays a key role. Early diagnosis and effective treatment modalities play also an important role for overall survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]