Pathology and staging of melanoma

Pathology refers to the examination of tissue under a microscope to find out whether it’s cancerous or non-cancerous and to determine the type of tumour it is. Different types of tumours can affect the skin.

Benign tumours

Benign tumours are non-cancerous growths that do not spread to other parts of the body and are not usually life-threatening:

• dermatofibroma
• epidermal cyst
• hemangioma
• keratoacanthoma
• lipoma
• mole
• seborrheic keratoses
• skin tag
• spitz nevus

Precancerous conditions

Precancerous conditions have the potential to develop into cancer:

• atypical moles (dysplastic nevi)
• congenital melanocytic nevi
• lentigo maligna

Malignant tumours

Malignant tumours are cancerous growths that have the potential to metastasize (spread to other parts of the body):

• superficial spreading melanoma
• nodular melanoma
• lentigo maligna melanoma
• acral lentiginous melanoma
• other rare types of melanoma
  • mucosal lentiginous melanoma
  • intraocular melanoma

Once the type of tumour has been diagnosed, the doctor will also consider:

• the stage of the cancer, including if it has spread (metastasized) and where it has spread
• prognostic factors (special characteristics that might influence the course of the disease)
• survival statistics for the particular type and stage of cancer

All of this information helps the doctor to make a treatment plan.

See a list of questions to ask your doctor about pathology and staging.