| Stages of Skin Cancer | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stage 0 | In stage 0 skin cancer, cancer is found only in the epidermis (the topmost layer of the skin), which is the layer of cells in which the cancer began. Stage 0 cancer is also called carcinoma in situ. | |
| Stage I | In stage I skin cancer, the tumor is 2 centimeters or smaller. | |
| Stage II | In stage II skin cancer, the tumor is larger than 2 centimeters. | |
| Stage III | In stage III skin cancer, cancer has spread below the skin to cartilage, muscle or bone and/or to nearby lymph nodes, but not to other parts of the body. | |
| Stage IV | In stage IV skin cancer, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. | |
Source: National Cancer Institute, accessed on October 9, 2009.