Skin Cancer Stages

Skin cancer occurs when DNA molecules become irreparably damaged, leading to uncontrollable cell growth and division that causes a tumor or tumors to form. After diagnosis, doctors must pinpoint the stage of the cancer using a variety of diagnostic tools and measurement systems. This is called "staging," and helps doctors determine the proper treatment course.

Causes

• Skin cancer is directly caused by ultraviolet A and B radiation, radiation therapy and exposure to toxic chemicals.

Risk Factors

• Fair skin and hair, sun exposure, family history of cancer, abnormal moles and lesions, weak immune system and age are risk factors for skin cancer.

Types

• These are the three types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

Stages

• Skin cancer stages range from 0 (least invasive) to 4 (most invasive), and are broken down into two categories, melanoma and non-melanoma.

Process

• Staging includes the doctor's clinical conclusions and the results of various tests such as biopsies, blood work, CT and MRI scans, and X-rays.

Treatment

• After staging, treatments include surgery, radiation therapy and electrochemotherapy.

Warning Signs

• Warning signs include skin changes such as bleeding, itching or growing moles; non-round moles with irregular borders; moles that change in size, shape or color; and sores that heal and then reopen.