Skin Cancer Stages PDF

# Skin Cancer Stages ## Stage 0 (Carcinoma In Situ) * Abnormal cells are found in the squamous or basal cells of the epidermis. * These abnormal cells may become cancerous and spread to nearby normal tissue. * Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ. ## Stage I * The cancer has formed and the t...

# Skin Cancer Stages ## Stage 0 (Carcinoma In Situ) * Abnormal cells are found in the squamous or basal cells of the epidermis. * These abnormal cells may become cancerous and spread to nearby normal tissue. * Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ. ## Stage I * The cancer has formed and the tumor measures 2 cm or less. ## Stage II * The tumor measures more than 2 cm but no more than 4 cm. ## Stage III * The tumor measures more than 4 cm or the cancer has spread to the tissue surrounding the nerves below the dermis, below the subcutaneous tissue, or to the bone and there is little damage. * The cancer may have spread to a lymph node on the same side of the body as the tumor. * The lymph node measures 3 cm or less and the cancer has not spread through the outer covering of the lymph node. * The tumor measures 4 cm or less and the cancer has spread to a lymph node on the same side of the body as the tumor and the lymph node measures 3 cm or less. ## Stage IV * The tumor is any size. * The cancer may have spread to the bone and there is little damage, the tissue surrounding the nerves below the dermis, or below the subcutaneous tissue. * The cancer has spread to lymph nodes in one of the following ways: * The cancer has spread to a lymph node on the same side of the body as the tumor and the lymph node measures 3 cm or less, and the cancer has spread through the outer covering of the lymph node. * The cancer has spread to a lymph node on the same side of the body as the tumor and the lymph node measures more than 3 cm but less than 6 cm, and the cancer has not spread through the outer covering of the lymph node. * The cancer has spread to more than one lymph node on the same side of the body as the tumor, the lymph nodes measure 6 cm or less, and the cancer has not spread through the outer covering of the lymph nodes. * The cancer has spread to one or more lymph nodes on the opposite side of the body as the tumor or both sides of the body, the lymph nodes measure 6 cm or less, and the cancer has not spread through the outer covering of the lymph nodes. ## Surgery For the treatment of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or actinic keratosis, one or more of the following surgeries are used. ### Simple Excision * The tumor and some of the normal skin surrounding it are removed. ### Mohs Micrographic Surgery * The tumor is removed from the skin in thin layers. * The edges of the tumor and each layer are examined under a microscope to check for cancer cells. * Layers are removed until no more cancer cells are found. * This type of surgery removes the least possible amount of normal tissue. * It is often used to remove skin cancer from the face, fingers, and genitals, or skin cancer with poorly defined edges. ### Description of Image The image is a medical illustration depicting the different stages of skin cancer. The illustration shows a cross-section of the skin with layers labeled as epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. The image also shows the size and location of the tumor in each stage. The illustration is accompanied by textual descriptions of each stage.