Staging for non-melanoma skin cancer
Once a definite diagnosis of cancer has been made and your healthcare team has the information it needs, the cancer will be given a stage.
The cancer stage describes the tumour size and tells whether it has spread beyond the place where it started to grow.
Basal cell cancer rarely spreads to other organs, so it is not often staged unless the tumour is very large. Squamous cell cancer has a slight risk of spreading, although the risk is still quite small.
For squamous cell skin cancer, there are five stages.
Stage | Description |
0 | Cancer cells are present, but only in a small area in the surface layer of the skin. Stage 0 squamous cell cancer is also called carcinoma in situ or Bowen’s disease. |
1 | The tumour is 2 cm across or smaller, but has not spread. |
2 | The tumour is larger than 2 cm across, but has not spread. |
3 | The cancer has spread below the skin to cartilage, muscle, bone or nearby lymph nodes. It has not spread to other places in the body. |
4 | The cancer has spread to other places in the body. |
It is important to know the stage of the cancer. This information helps you and your healthcare team choose the best treatment for you.
Last modified on:
10 December 2009
Back to top