(NewsUSA) - New estimates suggest that 4.7 million Americans are diagnosed with nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) annually, while advances in treatment offer patients more choices than ever before.

NMSC is the most common cancer in the United States, yet the country lacks a comprehensive system for tracking its two most common forms: basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

For more than a decade, healthcare organizations have said that some 3.3 million Americans are diagnosed with NMSC annually, but that figure stems from research published in 2015 using data collected in 2012.

A new analysis by SkinCure Oncology suggests that approximately 4.7 million Americans are now diagnosed annually — 42 percent more than previously reported. That's nearly 13,000 individuals every day.

While highly treatable when detected early, NMSC is a serious disease that can cause significant tissue damage, disfigurement and, in some cases, life-threatening complications.

"Skin cancer deserves far more attention than it receives," said Kerwin Brandt, CEO of SkinCure Oncology. "Accurate information about the millions of Americans affected each year is essential to improving prevention, early detection, access to treatment and patient outcomes." The company is calling for the establishment of a national database to track the disease.

NMSC disproportionately affects older Americans. Since 2012, the U.S. population aged 65 and older has grown nearly 50 percent, reaching roughly 64 million in 2026. SkinCure Oncology's updated estimate takes into account this demographic shift, as well as historical growth in diagnoses, and independent federal healthcare survey data. 

As the number of Americans affected by skin cancer has grown, treatment options have also advanced. Surgery, including Mohs micrographic surgery, remains an effective and widely used treatment, but for appropriate patients, nonsurgical alternatives offer equally impressive results with no cutting, pain or need for subsequent cosmetic surgery.

One established approach, Image-Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy (IGSRT), combines low-energy X-rays with high-resolution ultrasound imaging to treat skin cancer without surgery. Published clinical studies involving thousands of early-stage lesions have reported local control rates exceeding 99 percent.

GentleCure®, offered through participating dermatology practices by SkinCure Oncology, incorporates IGSRT into a comprehensive, cancer center-level model of care delivered in the dermatologist's office.

Despite such advances, many patients still don’t learn about nonsurgical alternatives unless they ask. "Patients deserve to know all their treatment options," Brandt said. "Our goal is to ensure patients fully understand their options, and encourage them to work with their physicians to select the optimum approach."

For more information about nonsurgical skin cancer treatment options, and to find the nearest provider of the GentleCure Experience℠, visit GentleCure.com.