Stages of melanoma | Cancer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Heading Stages of melanoma

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If you have melanoma, you might be told it’s at a certain stage. This describes whether or not it has spread to other parts of the body, and how far.

Knowing the stage of the cancer helps you and your doctors to decide on the best treatment for you.

Stage 0: The cancer is still only in the outermost layer of the skin and hasn’t spread into the layer of the skin underneath.
Stage 1: The cancer is only in the skin.
Stage 2: The cancer is thicker than stage 1, but is still only in the skin.
Stage 3: The cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and close organs but not further.
Stage 4: The cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the lungs, liver or brain – this is also known as metastatic cancer.

With all stages of melanoma of the skin,there is plenty of treatment and support that can help you, including traditional medicine and practices like ceremony and being on Country.