Basal Cell Carcinoma Staging
Tests are conducted to determine the
stage of basal cell carcinoma, which is
then used to develop an appropriate
treatment plan.
Staging is the process of determining whether cancer has spread and, if so, how far. It is important to know the stage of the disease in order to plan treatment.
Understanding Your Stage of Basal Cell Carcinoma
The stage is based on the size of the tumor, how deeply into the skin it has grown, and whether cancer has spread beyond the tumor to the lymph nodes. Your doctor will look at the results of the biopsy to determine the stage. If you have squamous cell carcinoma, your doctor may also test lymph nodes near the tumor to see if the cancer has spread beyond the skin.
Stages are numbered in Roman numerals between 0 and IV.
- Stage 0. Cancer is found only in the original tumor in the skin. It is only in the epidermis and has not spread to the dermis. Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ.
- Stage I. The tumor is 2 centimeters wide or smaller. It may have spread into the dermis. Cancer does not invade the muscle, cartilage, or bone and has not spread to lymph nodes or other organs.
- Stage II. The tumor is larger than 2 centimeters and may have spread from the epidermis into the dermis. Cancer does not invade the muscle, cartilage, or bone and has not spread outside the skin. It may also have high risk features such as perineural invasion.
- Stage III. The cancer has spread to areas below the skin, such as into muscle, bone, cartilage, or lymph nodes, but only those near the original tumor. It has not spread to distant organs.
- Stage IV. The cancer can be any size and has spread to distant lymph nodes or organs like the lungs or bone.
Most non-melanoma skin cancers are Stage 0 or Stage I. Stage III and IV are relatively rare. Based on the type of cancer, the stage of cancer, your overall health, and other factors, your doctor works with you to develop a treatment plan.
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