Guide to understand the various stages of Melanoma

There are several forms of cancer as researched by the clinical studies and each of them is dangerous and lethal. If you are reading this article, we believe that you have been searching for answers to the questions relating to melanoma. Even if you have the slightest idea about the medical issue, it is our responsibility to make you aware of the disease and the various Melanoma staging processes.

Melanoma is a rare yet difficult disease to cope with. It is a form of skin cancer which originates from the Melanocytes, the cells responsible for the skin color. During skin cancer, these cells are damaged and affect the surrounding cells by delocalizing themselves. The broad classification of the Melanoma disease contemplates Cutaneous, Mucosal, and Ocular. Of these, Cutaneous melanoma is the most commonly diagnosed type of skin cancer.  

Melanoma primary stage

Melanoma staging is an assigned description to understand the effect of cancer and where it stands at the time of diagnosis. The early stage melanoma is often termed as stage 1 melanoma which can be further divided into two sub-division 1a and 1b. During stage 1a, the tumor is localized and the size of the tumor is just above 0.8 mm. However, it has not spread into the lymph nodes. On the other hand, stage 1b indicates the tumor with a range of 0.8-2.0 mm and the formation of the ulcer may or may not take place. In both the cases, the tumor remains localized and there is no indication of metastasis. Treatment of a patient diagnosed in this stage poses minimal risk.