The 61-year-old offspinner, who took 147 wickets in 64 Tests, says his condition "isn't the most aggressive form or life-threatening" and can be eliminated through surgery.
Emburey says being exposed to the sun while playing cricket may have contributed to him getting cancer.
He says in Saturday's edition of British newspaper The Sun that "it's the result of playing cricket for so many years, not wearing a hat and not wearing sun cream.