[Are skin tumors on the increase?].

The skin is the most common site of malignancy. Epithelial tumors, i.e., basalioma and squamous-cell carcinoma, are among the most frequent skin tumors but have a good prognosis if detected early. Prognosis of metastatic melanoma however is bad. Due to increased UV-exposure the frequency of all three tumors has much increased in recent years. Cutaneous lymphomas and kaposi sarcoma are rare skin tumors. The latter is nowadays of increased interest because of its association with HIV infection. An overview of the current epidemiologic data on malignant skin tumors is presented.