TNM System used to decide the stage of cancer. Stands for: Tumor thickness, Nearby lymph nodes, Metastasis. Ulceration A sore or break on the skin. UV (ultraviolet) rays Invisible electromagnetic radiation from the sun or tanning beds that can damage skin cells and lead to skin cancer. Wide local excision A melanoma treatment that involves surgery to remove the cancer and some surrounding, healthy tissue. This lowers the chance of the melanoma coming back.
Punch biopsy A doctor presses a round blade into the skin to remove an entire mole or area, to be looked at under a microscope. Recurrence Cancer coming back. Resectable Able to be removed by surgery. Self skin check Checking your own skin for concerning or changing areas of skin, usually once a month. Sentinel lymph node The first lymph node or nodes that cancer is most likely to spread to from the primary tumor. Sentinel lymph node biopsy Biopsy (removal of cells or tissue) of the lymph node the cancer is most likely to spread to first. Shave biopsy Doctors use a surgical blade to remove a sample from the top layer of skin to be looked at under a microscope. Staging A way doctors describe cancer and where it is in the body.
1 SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics [Internet]. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute; 2024 Apr 17. [cited 2024 May 3]. Available from https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/melan.html . Data source(s): SEER Incidence Data, November 2023 Submission (1975-2021), SEER 22 registries. 2 American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2025. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2025.
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