Skin cancer could indicate high risk

Getting frequent bouts of a common skin cancer could signal an increased risk of other cancers such as blood, breast, bowel and prostate, a new study has found.

Those who develop abnormally frequent cases of basal cell carcinoma appear to be three times more likely to develop other cancers.

Scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine said the skin, the largest organ in the body, could serve as a kind of canary in the coal mine to reveal an individual’s overall cancer susceptibility.