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Melanoma - Stages
Stages of Melanoma
Once the doctor identifies a case of melanoma, plans for treatment and medication depends on whether the cancer cells have spread beyond the skin and into other organs or parts of the body. This process of identification called staging also determines stages of melanoma and the severity of the condition. Staging may focus on the thickness of the tumor, ulcerations, and whether the malignant tumor has spread to the lymph nodes or to other parts of the body.
Stages of melanoma include:
- Stage 0 or Melanoma in Situ: In this stage, the cancerous growth is identified on the outer layer of the skin structure or epidermis. It may spread to normal tissue in the surrounding area. At stage 0, the abnormal melanocytes may measure up to 10 mm and will be under continuous monitoring.
- Stage 1 Melanoma maybe further divided into stage 1A or stage 1B. In stage 1A melanoma, the size of the tumor is about 1mm in thickness. The tumor shows no signs of ulceration. Stage 1B melanoma maybe split into two scenarios- the tumor maybe 1mm in thickness with visible signs of ulceration or less than 2mm thickness with no ulceration.
- Stage 2 maybe divided into stage 2A, 2B or 2C. In 2A, the tumor measures more than 1mm but less than 2mm in thickness with ulceration.
- Stage 2A tumors may grow more than 2mm but less than 4 mm in thickness without ulceration.
- In stage 2B, tumors with ulceration may range from 2mm to 4 mm in thickness. Alternately, the tumor may expand to more than 4mm in thickness without any ulceration.
- Stage 2C shows increase in thickness to almost 4mm without ulceration. Stage 2C tumors may show more than 4mm thickness with ulceration.
- In stage 3, tumor thickness may vary; however, other scenarios dictate Stage 3 melanoma such as spread of cancer to the lymph nodes, matting in the lymph nodes from cancer spread, further spread of cancer in the localized area.
- In stage 4 melanoma, cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as liver, lungs, brains, soft tissue of organs, gastrointestinal tract and so on.