Melanoma: Diagnosis - stages

There are different stages of melanoma.

Stage 

• 1A – Melanoma that is 1mm thick or less without ulceration

• 1B – Melanoma is 1mm thick with ulceration OR between 1.01mm and 2mm thick

Stage  

• 2A – Melanoma is between 1.01mm and 2mm thick with ulceration OR between 2.01mm and 4mm without ulceration

• 2B – Melanoma is between 2.01mm and 4mm thick with ulceration OR thicker than 4mm without ulceration.

• 2C – Melanoma is thicker than 4mm with ulceration

Stage  

• 3 – Melanomas at this stage have spread to the lymph nodes (sometimes called glands) or lymphatic tubes closest to the melanoma but not to anywhere else in the body. It is divided into stages 3A, 3B or 3C, depending on the number of lymph nodes involved and whether the lymph nodes contain melanoma cells that can be seen by the naked eye or only under a microscope.

Stage  

• 4 – Advanced melanoma is cancer cells that have spread to lymph nodes or other organs such as lung, liver, bones or brain, distant from the original melanoma. This is called advanced or metastatic melanoma. Some people are diagnosed with advanced melanoma when a melanoma has come back in another part of the body.