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Skin Cancer Treatment (PDQ®) - Stages of Skin Cancer
After nonmelanoma skin cancer has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the skin or to other parts of the body.
The process used to find out if cancer has spread within the skin or to other parts of the body is called staging. The information gathered from the staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is important to know the stage in order to plan treatment. A biopsy is often the only test needed to determine the stage of nonmelanoma skin cancer. Lymph nodes may be examined in cases of squamous cell carcinoma to see if cancer has spread to them.
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
The three ways that cancer spreads in the body are:
- Through tissue. Cancer invades the surrounding normal tissue.
- Through the lymph system. Cancer invades the lymph system and travels through the lymph vessels to other places in the body.
- Through the blood. Cancer invades the veins and capillaries and travels through the blood to other places in the body.
When cancer cells break away from the primary (original) tumor and travel through the lymph or blood to other places in the body, another (secondary) tumor may form. This process is called metastasis. The secondary (metastatic) tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if breast cancer spreads to the bones, the cancer cells in the bones are actually breast cancer cells. The disease is metastatic breast cancer, not bone cancer.
The following stages are used for nonmelanoma skin cancer:
Stage 0 (Carcinoma in Situ)
Stage 0 nonmelanoma. Abnormal cells are shown in the epidermis (outer layer of the skin).
In stage 0, abnormalcells are found in the squamous cell or basal cell layer of the epidermis (topmost layer of the skin). These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue. Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ.
Pea, peanut, walnut, and lime show tumor sizes.
Stage I
Stage I nonmelanoma skin cancer. The tumor is no more than 2 centimeters.
In stage I, cancer has formed and the tumor is 2 centimeters or smaller.
Stage II
Stage II nonmelanoma skin cancer. The tumor is more than 2 centimeters wide.
In stage II, the tumor is larger than 2 centimeters.
Stage III
Stage III nonmelanoma skin cancer. The tumor has spread below the skin to nearby tissues and/or lymph nodes.
In stage III, cancer has spread below the skin to cartilage, muscle, or bone and/or to nearby lymph nodes, but not to other parts of the body.
Stage IV
Stage IV nonmelanoma skin cancer. The tumor has spread to other places in the body, such as the brain or lung.
WebMD Public Information from the National Cancer Institute
This information is produced and provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The information in this topic may have changed since it was written. For the most current information, contact the National Cancer Institute via the Internet web site at http://cancer.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER
