How long does it take for actinic keratosis to turn into cancer?

It varies.: This is the precursor to squamous cell cancer of the skin. For this to become cancer sooner versus later, it would depend on the susceptability of the person and the exposure to sunlight and other factrors that cause it to become malignant. If a person has fair skin and is exposed to uv light and ionizing radiation, they are more likely to have any actinic keratosis turn into cancer faster.

Variable: Actinic keratosis is considered a pre-cancerous condition, however, not all lesions become cancerous. There is controversy about terminology and some people consider actinic keratosis to be cancer. Treatment of the skin lesion can forstall the development of cancer.