These are stages 0-4
Melanoma Staging
Staging greatly depends in how far along the cancer is. If you caught it early it will either be stage 1 or 2 and if your lucky 0. If you caught it late it will be either stage 3 or 4.
Stage 0
Stage 0 is the earliest stage therefore the most treatable stage. Stage 0 is only on the base of the skin as you can see in the diagram.
Usually, they will diagnose and surgically remove it, there are also topical creams but those are hardly used. Unfortunately many times Melanoma is recognized as early as stage zero.
Post-treatment or surgery the patient would ordinarily go to the Dermatologist and every 3 months and then after a few years decrease to six once they feel the cancer is actually gone.
Stage 1
Stage 1 is also a pretty early stage, but unlike Stage 0 it is actually under the first layer of the skin. You can see on the diagram, it has penetrated the epidermis layer.
Treating stage 1 is most likely gonna be surgery like stage 0 except they will remove more of the outer skin to make sure they get all of it. It will obviously be deeper incisions
Like every other stage follow up visits to the deromlotogist will critical to recovery.
Stage 2
Stage 2 is a little farther into the dermis layer than stage 1. It is treated similarly
They will most likely surgically remove it and they might choose to do post-surgery treatments such as Immunotherapy, and Radiation Therapy, but they also just make you return to the Demoltogist just to make sure the cancer doesn't return.
Stage 3
Stage 3 means that it has spread to nearby lymph nodes. As you can see from the picture it has reached that layer of fat that allows it to travel.
Treating Stage 3 is different from 0-2 for stage three surgically removing won't always be an option, and even if it is it has spread so you are going to have to do other treatments such as Immunotherapy, Radiation Therapy, Target Therapy, and Chemotherapy.
After treatment follow up to a dermatologist will be vital to a patients recovery.
Stage 4
Stage 4 means that the Melanoma has spread to distanced lymph nodes and organs.
Treating stage 4 is different from stage 3 because there is more of the cancer and has spread into a couple of different places. However the treatment options are the same. Immunotherapy, Radiation Therapy, Target Therapy, and Chemotherapy.
When Its Spread to the Lyphm Nodes
Although for stages 3, and 4 treatment is an option, so is surgically removing it just won't be on the base of the skin. When it has spread to the Lyphm Nodes the other treatment options are often used, but sometimes they will remove the lymph node itself to prevent further spreading.
Watch for information about staging, and how Melanoma differs when it is more advanced.