Pathology and staging of non-melanoma skin cancer

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
• seborrheic keratoses
• skin tags

Precancerous conditions

Precancerous conditions have the potential to develop into cancer:

• actinic keratosis
• Bowen’s disease

Malignant tumours

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

• basal cell carcinoma (BCC)
• squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
• rare malignant tumours
  • Merkel cell carcinoma
  • Kaposi sarcoma
  • cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
  • skin adnexal tumours
  • sarcomas
    • angiosarcoma
    • dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans
    • malignant fibrous histiocytoma

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

• the grade of the tumour (how abnormal the cancer cells look and behave)
• 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 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.