Melanoma stages
Stage 0 – This invasive type of skin cancer has not penetrated below the epidermis.
Stage 1- In this stage, cancer spreads to another layer of the skin, the dermis; cancer remains small.
Stage 2 – Cancer becomes larger and thicker but has not spread being the original tumor site. It starts to show other signs and symptoms, including bleeding, flaking, and scaling.
Stage 3 – This stage is characterized by the spreading of cancer or being metastasized to lymph nodes or nearby skin tissues.
Stage 4 – This is the most advanced stage of skin cancer. This stage of melanoma cancer indicates that cancer has spread beyond the primary tumor and shows up in lymph nodes, other organs, or tissues distant from the original site.
When cancer comes back after the treatment, it is called recurrent skin cancer. The people diagnosed and treated with skin or any other type of cancer are always at risk of its reoccurrence, making follow-up care and self-examination very important.