Skin cancer has stages ranging from 0 to IV for both non-melanoma and melanoma cancers. Non-melanoma skin cancer is caused by overexposure to sunlight and is more common than melanoma. Doctors rely on the stages of cancer to create the best treatment plan. The stages of melanoma skin cancer are more specific and include secondary stages.
Skin cancer occurs in stages. Each stage, or stage, determines how the cancer has spread and how far the disease has progressed. Skin cancer stages range from 0 to IV for both nonmelanoma and melanoma cancers. Doctors rely on the stages of cancer to create the best treatment plan. A biopsy is done to tell doctors what stage the cancer is in and whether or not it has spread.
Cancers other than melanoma, including squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas, are more common than melanoma cancers. Non-melanoma skin cancer is usually caused by overexposure to sunlight. The growths frequently appear on the head, back, arms, chest, or shoulders. The growths change shape, color or size.
Melanoma skin cancers are rarer. A melanoma is also more aggressive. Melanomas begin in the skin cells that produce pigment, known as melanocyte cells. Similar to non-melanomas, this cancer can start in a mole or wart, but it can also start in normal skin.
A non-melanoma cancer is biopsied and then classified into one of the five stages of skin cancer. When the cancer is in the epidermis, it is stage 0, also known as carcinoma in situ. This is the first stage of skin cancer.
Stage I is the second stage of skin cancer. At this stage, a tumor is evident but small. When a tumor is smaller than 0.75 inches (about 1.9 cm), it is classified as stage I. Stage II skin cancers are determined when the cancer is larger than a stage I cancer but is less than two inches (about 5cm).
The remaining two stages of skin cancer, III and IV, are determined when doctors have evidence that the cancer has spread. If the test shows cancer in the immediate cartilage, bone, muscle, or lymph nodes, the cancer is stage III. When there is cancer in other parts of the body besides the skin, stage IV is determined.
The stages of melanoma skin cancer are much more specific and include secondary stages. Stage 0 is the same as a non-melanoma cancer. The second phase, phase I, is divided into IA and IB. IA tumors are smaller than 1/16 inch (1 mm), located in both the epidermis and upper dermis, and have no ulceration. IB tumors can be located in the dermis or subcutaneous tissue.
The remaining three stages of skin cancer are also divided. Each stage helps doctors classify a tumor based on its size and location. The classification also helps doctors create a more effective treatment plan with a better chance of eradicating the cancer.
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