What stage is my melanoma?
Checking your lymph nodes Your doctor may want to check if the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. They may offer a sentinel lymph node biopsy if the melanoma is thicker than 0.8 mm and/or ulcerated. This is a biopsy of the lymph node that the cancer is most likely to spread to first. Having this small surgery will help you and your doctor know more about your cancer, its stage and what treatment might be right. The TNM system Doctors use a staging system called TNM, where they consider three factors to stage cancer: If you are diagnosed with melanoma, your doctor will do a process called staging. Staging is a way doctors describe the cancer and where it is in your body. It also helps doctors figure out the best way to treat the cancer. Your doctor may need to do more tests when they are staging your melanoma. Staging can be very complex and confusing. Ask questions about anything you don’t understand!
Tumor thickness, which means how deep the cancer has grown into the skin in millimeters, also known as the Clark level. This may also include if the tumor is ulcerated (broken skin), which means if there are cells in the center of the tumor that are dying and peeling away. This can be a sign that the tumor is growing quickly.
T
The Clark level measures how deeply the melanoma has grown into your skin. It uses roman numerals, just like staging does, but these are different. It is important not to mistake the Clark level number for the stage of melanoma.
N M
Nearby lymph nodes, which means if the cancer has spread nearby through small tubes or lymph nodes.
Metastasis, which means if the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body such as another organ or lymph nodes far from the primary tumor location.
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