Melanoma Staging: What Biopsy Review, PET-CT and Blood Tests Reveal Before Treatment

The phone call lasts four minutes. The mole on the shoulder, the one a partner nagged about for a year, has come back from the lab as melanoma. Then comes a sentence that lands harder than the diagnosis itself: nothing will be decided until the staging is done. Suddenly there is a second appointment, talk of a lymph node procedure, possibly a scan, and a week or two of not knowing.

That waiting room limbo is where most questions about melanoma staging tests are born. Why does a pathologist need to look at the slide a second time? Who gets a PET-CT and who does not? What can a vial of blood possibly say about a spot on the skin?

The honest answer is that staging is less a hunt for bad news than a measuring exercise. A handful of numbers, most of them taken from the original biopsy, sort melanoma into groups that have been studied in tens of thousands of patients. Those groups, not the diagnosis alone, shape what the care team recommends next.

What are melanoma staging tests, and why do they come before treatment?

Staging answers one question: how far has the melanoma traveled? It can be confined to the top layer of skin, grow deeper into the dermis, reach the nearest lymph nodes, or spread through the bloodstream to distant organs. Each of those situations calls for a different conversation about treatment, which is why oncologists refuse to talk about options until the stage is clear.

Melanoma staging tests fall into three tiers. The first, and by far the most important, is the microscope. A pathologist, a doctor who diagnoses disease by examining tissue, measures the tumor’s depth and notes whether its surface has broken down. For the majority of people, whose melanomas are thin, this report settles the stage almost on its own (NCI).

The second tier is the sentinel lymph node biopsy, a small operation that samples the first node or nodes draining the skin where the tumor sat. It is offered selectively, based on what the microscope showed.

The third tier is imaging and blood work. CT, PET-CT and MRI look for spread beyond the nodes, and a blood test for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), an enzyme released by stressed or dying cells, feeds into the stage for people whose cancer has already reached distant sites. Guidelines steer these tests toward people with thicker tumors, positive nodes or symptoms, not toward everyone (Mayo Clinic).

Think of it as a funnel. Everyone enters at the top with a biopsy report. Fewer move on to a node procedure, and fewer still need scans. That narrowing is deliberate; it spares people tests that would not change their plan.

How melanoma staging actually works: the TNM system in plain language

Doctors describe melanoma using the TNM system, a shared code in which T stands for the primary tumor, N for regional lymph nodes and M for metastasis, meaning spread to distant parts of the body. The current version in use in the United States is the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual, and the National Cancer Institute’s patient summary follows it (NCI).

The T category comes from two measurements on the biopsy slide. Breslow thickness is the distance, in millimeters, from the top of the skin’s granular layer to the deepest melanoma cell. Ulceration means the skin over the tumor has eroded, visible under the microscope even when the surface looked intact. A thin tumor without ulceration sits at T1a; a tumor deeper than 4 millimeters sits at T4, with ulceration adding the letter b at any depth.

The N category records whether melanoma cells have reached lymph nodes, how many nodes are involved, and whether deposits exist in the skin or tissue between the tumor and the nodes. Those in-between deposits have their own names: satellite lesions when they sit within a couple of centimeters of the scar, in-transit metastases when they lie further along the lymphatic path.

The M category describes distant spread by location. Skin, soft tissue and distant nodes are M1a; lung is M1b; other organs outside the brain are M1c; brain or spinal cord is M1d. A suffix records whether LDH was normal or raised.

Once the three letters have their values, a table converts them into stages 0 through IV. Clinical stage uses the biopsy plus examination; pathologic stage adds what the node surgery found. The two can differ, and the pathologic stage carries more weight when it is available.

Why the biopsy review is the most important melanoma staging test

Picture a sheet of paper. A thin melanoma may be a fraction of its thickness; a thick one, several sheets stacked. That difference, invisible from the surface, is the strongest single predictor of how melanoma behaves, which is why the pathology report is read line by line before anything else happens.

The eighth edition divides thickness into bands that appear in the NCI’s patient summary: 1 millimeter or less, more than 1 up to 2, more than 2 up to 4, and more than 4 millimeters. Within the thinnest group, 0.8 millimeters marks a further line; tumors below it without ulceration fall into the lowest risk category, T1a (NCI). A tenth of a millimeter can therefore move someone across a boundary, and that is precisely why a second pathologist, often one who specializes in skin, is frequently asked to review the slide.

The report also lists features that no longer set the stage but still inform decisions. Mitotic rate counts how many cells are caught dividing per square millimeter; it was removed from T1 staging in the current edition but remains a marker of growth speed. Lymphovascular invasion notes whether cells have entered small vessels. Regression describes areas where the immune system appears to have destroyed part of the tumor. Margins tell the team whether the biopsy removed the whole lesion or whether tumor reaches the cut edge.

One practical point follows from all this. A shave biopsy that slices through the base of a melanoma leaves the deepest point unmeasured, so the report may say the true thickness is ‘at least’ a figure. In that case the team may stage conservatively or wait for the wider excision to confirm depth (Mayo Clinic).

What are the different stages of melanoma skin cancer?

Five broad stages describe melanoma, running from 0 to IV. The table below summarizes them in the language of the NCI patient summary, which mirrors the AJCC eighth edition. Letters such as IIA or IIIC subdivide stages by thickness, ulceration and node burden; the care team will usually tell you both the stage and the sub-stage (NCI).

Stage	Where the melanoma is	Tests that usually set it
0 (in situ)	Confined to the epidermis, the outermost skin layer	Biopsy review only
I	Invasive but thin: up to 2 mm without ulceration, or up to 1 mm with ulceration; no node spread	Biopsy review; sentinel node biopsy considered at 0.8 mm or above or if ulcerated
II	Thicker or ulcerated primary tumor; nodes negative	Biopsy review and sentinel node biopsy; imaging only if symptoms or findings suggest spread
III	Spread to regional lymph nodes, or satellite and in-transit deposits in nearby skin	Sentinel node or node biopsy; CT or PET-CT, often brain MRI
IV	Distant spread to skin, lung, other organs or brain; LDH recorded as normal or raised	Imaging of chest, abdomen, pelvis and brain; biopsy of a distant site when feasible; LDH blood test

Two features of the system surprise people. First, a stage II melanoma with a thick, ulcerated primary and clean nodes can carry a higher risk category than a stage III melanoma with a microscopic node deposit; the letters matter as much as the numeral. Second, the stage is fixed at diagnosis. If melanoma later returns in a distant organ, doctors describe it as recurrent or metastatic disease rather than reassigning a new stage, although the treatment discussion will be the same as for stage IV (Cleveland Clinic).

What does melanoma in situ mean, and what are the treatment options?

Melanoma in situ is stage 0: abnormal melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells, are present but have not crossed the basement membrane that separates the epidermis from the dermis beneath it. Because that membrane also keeps the cells away from blood and lymph vessels, in situ melanoma has not had a route to spread (MedlinePlus).

Staging here is deliberately minimal. The pathologist’s confirmation that no invasive component exists is the test; sentinel node biopsy, scans and blood work are not part of standard care for stage 0, and ordering them would expose a person to procedures without a question they can answer (NCI).

Treatment is surgical. The standard approach is a wide local excision, in which the surgeon removes the biopsy scar together with a rim of normal-looking skin. The NCI summary lists margins of 0.5 to 1 centimeter for in situ disease, with the width chosen according to the site and the lesion’s clarity at its edges. The excised tissue goes back to the pathologist, who confirms that the margins are clear and, just as importantly, checks the whole specimen for any invasive focus the smaller biopsy may have missed. When such a focus turns up, the stage is revised and the staging funnel reopens.

A variant called lentigo maligna, which tends to arise on sun-damaged skin of the face in older adults, can have indistinct edges that make surgical planning harder. Techniques that examine margins in stages during surgery, and, in selected cases where surgery is not feasible, radiotherapy or a topical immune-modulating cream, are described in the literature. These alternatives have less long-term evidence than excision, and the choice sits with the treating team (Mayo Clinic).

Sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma: who is usually offered it, and who is asked to wait

Lymph fluid from any patch of skin drains first to one or a few specific nodes. If melanoma cells have begun to spread through the lymphatics, those sentinel nodes are where they land first. Sampling them tells the team about the N category without removing an entire node basin (Mayo Clinic).

The procedure is usually done at the same operation as the wide excision. A small amount of radioactive tracer, sometimes with a blue dye, is injected around the biopsy scar. A handheld detector then guides the surgeon to the node or nodes that took up the tracer, which are removed through a small incision and sent for examination.

Who is offered it follows the thickness bands. The NCI summary describes sentinel node biopsy as an option for melanomas 0.8 millimeters or thicker, or thinner tumors that are ulcerated, and as a standard discussion for tumors above 1 millimeter. People with thin, non-ulcerated T1a melanomas are generally asked to wait, because the chance of a positive node is low enough that the procedure’s risks, including seroma, infection and lymphedema, outweigh the information it would yield (NCI).

A positive sentinel node once led automatically to removal of all nodes in the region. The MSLT-II randomized trial compared that completion dissection with close ultrasound monitoring and found no difference in melanoma-specific survival, while dissection carried more lymphedema (PubMed). Many teams now offer surveillance plus a conversation about drug treatment after surgery instead of further node surgery. Which path suits a given person depends on how much tumor the node held and other factors the surgeon and oncologist weigh together.

When is a PET-CT scan used in melanoma staging?

A PET-CT combines two images. The CT part maps anatomy in cross-sections; the PET part shows where cells are consuming an injected sugar tracer most avidly, which often flags fast-growing cancer deposits. Because melanoma can seed almost any organ, whole-body PET-CT is an appealing tool. It is also a test that finds things which turn out to be nothing, and that trade-off governs when it is used.

For people with stage I or II melanoma and no symptoms, guidelines cited by the NCI do not recommend routine imaging. The likelihood of a true distant deposit in a thin melanoma is very low, while the chance of an incidental spot in the lung or thyroid that triggers further scans and biopsies is real (NCI). A chest X-ray or CT in that setting is more likely to cause anxiety than to change a plan.

The calculus shifts once nodes are involved. For clinically evident stage III disease, or a positive sentinel node with a heavier tumor burden, CT of the chest, abdomen and pelvis or PET-CT is commonly ordered to make sure stage IV disease has not been missed before surgery or drug treatment begins. Brain MRI is frequently added, because melanoma spreads to the brain more readily than most skin cancers and PET-CT images the brain poorly (Mayo Clinic).

Symptoms override the stage. New bone pain, a persistent cough, headaches or unexplained weight loss in anyone with a melanoma history will prompt imaging regardless of how thin the original tumor was (NHS).

When a scan shows a suspicious spot, the team will usually want tissue from it, because confirming metastasis changes everything about the plan, and because not every bright spot on PET is cancer.

What do blood tests reveal before melanoma treatment?

Here is the part most people get backwards. No blood test can diagnose melanoma, measure its thickness, or reliably detect early spread. The NHS is explicit that blood tests are not used to find melanoma; they come into play only once the cancer is known and the question is how it is affecting the body (NHS).

The one blood marker written into the staging system is LDH. Lactate dehydrogenase is an enzyme found in nearly all cells; when tissue is damaged or turning over rapidly, it leaks into the bloodstream. In stage IV melanoma, a raised LDH tends to track with a larger volume of disease, and the AJCC eighth edition records it as a suffix: M1 with normal LDH gets (0), with raised LDH (1). It is not used to stage earlier disease, because many ordinary things, from a hard workout to a viral illness to a sample handled roughly in the lab, can elevate it (NCI).

Other blood work before treatment serves a different purpose: baseline safety. A full blood count, kidney and liver function tests and thyroid tests are commonly drawn before immunotherapy or targeted therapy, not to stage the cancer but to document where organs stand before drugs that can inflame the thyroid, liver or gut are started. These results give the team a yardstick for later side effects (Cleveland Clinic).

Research continues into blood-based tests, including circulating tumor DNA, fragments of cancer genetic material in the bloodstream. These remain investigational for melanoma staging, and a normal result today cannot be read as proof that disease is absent. If a clinic offers such a test, it is reasonable to ask what evidence supports its use and what will be done differently depending on the result.

BRAF and other molecular tests: part of the workup, not part of the stage

Alongside the staging report, many people receive a second set of results about the tumor’s genetics. The most frequently discussed is BRAF, a gene that acts as a growth switch inside the cell. Roughly half of cutaneous melanomas carry a mutation that jams this switch in the on position, according to the NCI summary (NCI).

BRAF status does not alter the stage. A stage III melanoma is stage III whether or not the mutation is present. What it changes is the menu of drug options if treatment beyond surgery is being considered. Targeted therapy with a class of medicines called BRAF and MEK inhibitors works by blocking the jammed pathway, and it only makes sense in tumors that carry the mutation. Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors, which release a brake on the immune system so that T cells can attack melanoma cells, works independently of BRAF status.

Testing is performed on tissue already removed, either the original biopsy, the excision specimen or a lymph node, so it rarely requires a new procedure. Guidelines generally recommend it for stage III and IV disease, and for high-risk stage II when adjuvant treatment, meaning drug therapy given after surgery to reduce the chance of return, is under discussion. For thin stage I melanomas treated by excision alone, the result would not change anything, so it is often not requested.

Other mutations, including NRAS and KIT, are reported in some panels. KIT alterations are more common in melanomas arising on the palms, soles, under nails or on mucosal surfaces, and in selected cases open the door to other targeted agents. Whether any of these results lead to treatment, and which treatment, is a decision for the oncology team, weighed against the stage, overall health and personal priorities (Mayo Clinic).

What is metastatic melanoma?

Metastatic melanoma means melanoma cells have broken away from where they started and established new tumors elsewhere. Doctors use the term in two overlapping ways. In the strict staging sense, metastatic or stage IV melanoma refers to distant spread: skin or nodes far from the original site, lungs, liver, bone, bowel or brain. In everyday clinical conversation, spread to regional lymph nodes is also metastasis, just at a regional rather than distant level, and it is staged as III (MedlinePlus).

Melanoma travels by two routes. Lymphatic spread moves cells along lymph channels to nearby nodes and can leave in-transit deposits along the way. Hematogenous spread, through the blood, carries cells to distant organs. The lung is the most common first distant site, and the brain is reached more often than with most other solid tumors, which is why brain imaging is part of the staging workup once distant disease is suspected (NCI).

Metastatic disease can declare itself at the first diagnosis, when a thick primary is found alongside spread, or appear months or years after a thin melanoma was removed. Occasionally no skin primary is ever found; this is called melanoma of unknown primary and is thought to arise from a tumor the immune system destroyed or from melanocytes resident in a node.

Staging a suspected metastasis usually involves confirming it with tissue. A biopsy of the distant lesion, by needle under imaging guidance or by surgery, proves it is melanoma rather than a second cancer or a benign finding, and supplies material for BRAF testing. Measuring LDH completes the M category.

Treatment for stage IV melanoma has changed substantially with immunotherapy and targeted therapy; the NCI summary describes both as standard options, and the specifics depend on tumor genetics, sites of spread, symptoms and general health, all weighed by the treating team.

What the following weeks usually look like

Staging unfolds in steps, and knowing the order takes some of the dread out of the gaps between appointments. The sequence below describes a typical pathway; individual timelines vary with the hospital’s processes and the complexity of the case, and the team will give its own expected turnaround for each result (NHS).

The first step is already done by the time most people hear the word melanoma: the biopsy report. A specialist review may add a few days if the slides are sent to a dermatopathologist. Then comes a clinic visit with a surgeon or dermatologist who examines the scar, feels the lymph node regions and discusses whether sentinel node biopsy is appropriate.

Surgery follows. The wide excision, with or without sentinel node biopsy, is typically a day-case or short-stay operation. Margins listed in the NCI summary scale with thickness: about 1 centimeter for melanomas up to 1 millimeter, 1 to 2 centimeters for those between 1 and 2 millimeters, and 2 centimeters for tumors thicker than 2 millimeters (NCI). The excised skin and any nodes go to pathology, and this second report sets the pathologic stage.

Only after that report does the picture settle. For most people with stage I disease, the pathway ends here with a follow-up schedule of skin and node examinations. For those with a positive node or a thick primary, the weeks that follow involve imaging, possibly a multidisciplinary tumor board at which surgeons, oncologists, radiologists and pathologists review the case together, and a conversation about adjuvant treatment or surveillance.

Wound care during this period is straightforward: keep the dressing dry as instructed, avoid heavy lifting that pulls on the scar, and watch for signs of infection. Swelling in the limb after a node procedure should be reported, since early physiotherapy can help with lymphedema (Mayo Clinic).

What people often get wrong about melanoma staging

Misunderstandings cluster around a few points, and correcting them tends to lower anxiety rather than raise it.

‘A bigger mole means a higher stage.’ Surface diameter does not appear anywhere in the staging system. Depth does. A broad, flat lesion can be in situ; a tiny nodule can be thick (NCI).

‘They should scan everything to be safe.’ Whole-body imaging in thin, asymptomatic melanoma mostly finds incidental spots that need further tests and turn out to be benign. Guidelines steer away from it for stage I and II because the harms of chasing false alarms outweigh the small chance of finding true spread (Mayo Clinic).

‘A normal blood test means it hasn’t spread.’ No current blood test can rule out metastasis. LDH is used to subclassify stage IV, not to screen earlier stages (NHS).

‘A positive sentinel node means all the nodes come out.’ That was standard practice for decades. The MSLT-II trial showed that observation with regular ultrasound did not worsen melanoma-specific survival compared with immediate full dissection, so many teams now offer surveillance (PubMed).

‘Stage III is always worse than stage II.’ Sub-stages overlap. A thick ulcerated stage IIC tumor can carry a higher risk category than a stage IIIA melanoma with a microscopic node deposit.

‘The stage changes if it comes back.’ The stage assigned at diagnosis stays on the record; recurrence is described as such. The treatment conversation, though, follows the current extent of disease.

‘Staging delays treatment.’ Staging is the first part of treatment. Operating on the wrong assumption about extent of disease leads to operations that are too small, too large or beside the point.

Questions to ask your care team

A staging consultation moves fast, and the vocabulary is unfamiliar. Writing questions down beforehand, and asking for a copy of the pathology report to read at home, turns a one-way briefing into a conversation. The following are the questions clinicians most often wish patients had asked (Cleveland Clinic).

• What is the Breslow thickness, and was the base of the tumor fully measured in the biopsy?
• Is there ulceration, and what was the mitotic rate?
• Has a dermatopathologist reviewed the slides, and would a second opinion on the pathology be useful?
• What is my clinical stage now, and what could change it after surgery?
• Am I a candidate for sentinel lymph node biopsy? If not, why not? If yes, what are the risks at my node basin?
• If the sentinel node is positive, what are the options: completion dissection, surveillance with ultrasound, or drug treatment?
• Do I need any imaging before surgery? If so, which type, and what would you do differently depending on the result?
• Will BRAF or other molecular testing be done on my tissue, and would the result change my plan?
• Which blood tests are being drawn, and are they for staging or for baseline safety before treatment?
• Will my case be discussed at a multidisciplinary tumor board?
• What excision margin is planned, and will I need a skin graft or flap to close it?
• How will I receive results, and roughly when should I expect each one?
• What follow-up schedule applies to my stage, and what should I be checking myself between visits?

Bringing a companion to take notes helps. So does asking the team to draw the stage out on paper; a sketch of skin layers with the tumor’s depth marked often clarifies more than a paragraph of explanation. Every answer should end with the same principle: the stage frames the options, and the decision among them belongs to you and the treating team together.

When to call your doctor

Most of the staging period is uneventful, but a few situations warrant a prompt call rather than waiting for the next scheduled visit. Seek same-day advice from the care team, or emergency care if symptoms are severe, for any of the following (NHS; MedlinePlus).

• Spreading redness, increasing pain, warmth, pus or a fever after excision or sentinel node biopsy, which can indicate wound infection.
• A rapidly enlarging, tense swelling under the wound, suggesting bleeding or a large seroma.
• A new lump near the scar, along the path toward the nearest nodes, or in the neck, armpit or groin.
• New dark spots or nodules in the skin around the scar.
• Persistent headache, new weakness or numbness, vision change, confusion or a seizure, which need urgent assessment because melanoma can spread to the brain.
• Breathlessness, a cough that will not settle, or coughing up blood.
• Persistent bone pain, especially at night, or pain in the abdomen with loss of appetite.
• Unexplained weight loss, drenching night sweats or profound fatigue.
• Sudden swelling of an arm or leg on the side where nodes were sampled, particularly if it is painful or the skin is hot.

Anyone who has started immunotherapy or targeted therapy should also report new diarrhea, a rash that spreads quickly, yellowing of the eyes or skin, or feeling generally unwell, since these can signal immune-related side effects that the prescribing team will want to assess early (NCI).

None of these signs means the melanoma has spread; infections, bruising and ordinary aches explain most of them. The point of calling is that the same team that staged the cancer is best placed to tell the difference quickly, and to adjust the plan if something has changed.

Frequently asked questions

What are the different stages of melanoma skin cancer?

Melanoma is staged from 0 to IV. Stage 0 is in situ, confined to the epidermis. Stages I and II are invasive tumors without lymph node spread, separated by thickness and ulceration. Stage III means melanoma has reached regional lymph nodes or nearby skin as satellite or in-transit deposits. Stage IV means distant spread to skin, lung, other organs or brain, with LDH recorded as normal or raised. Letters such as IIB or IIIC subdivide each stage.

What are the treatment options for melanoma in situ?

Wide local excision is the standard treatment for melanoma in situ, removing the biopsy site with a margin of about 0.5 to 1 centimeter of surrounding skin, according to the NCI summary. No node biopsy, scans or blood tests are needed at stage 0. For lentigo maligna on the face, staged margin-controlled surgery, radiotherapy or a topical immune-modulating cream are described as alternatives in selected cases, with less long-term evidence than excision. The treating team decides which approach fits.

What is metastatic melanoma?

Metastatic melanoma is melanoma that has spread from its original site to other parts of the body. Strictly, stage IV or distant metastatic disease involves far skin or nodes, lungs, liver, bone, bowel or brain. Spread to nearby regional lymph nodes is also metastasis but is staged as III. Confirming metastasis usually requires imaging plus a biopsy of the distant lesion and an LDH blood test.

Can stage 4 melanoma be controlled long term?

For some people, yes. The NCI summary describes immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors and, for BRAF-mutated tumors, targeted therapy as standard options for stage IV melanoma, and a proportion of people achieve lasting control. Outcomes vary widely with the sites of spread, LDH level, tumor genetics and general health, and no one can predict an individual’s course from the stage alone. The oncology team can explain what the evidence shows for a specific situation.

Who needs a sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma?

Sentinel lymph node biopsy is generally discussed for melanomas 0.8 millimeters or thicker, or thinner tumors that are ulcerated, and is a standard conversation for tumors over 1 millimeter, according to the NCI summary. People with thin, non-ulcerated T1a melanomas are usually not offered it because the chance of a positive node is low. The procedure is typically done at the same operation as the wide excision.

Do I need a PET-CT scan for melanoma staging?

Most people do not. Guidelines cited by the NCI do not recommend routine imaging for stage I or II melanoma without symptoms, because incidental findings lead to unnecessary tests. PET-CT or CT, often with brain MRI, is commonly used when lymph nodes are involved, when the sentinel node carries a larger tumor burden, or when symptoms such as new pain, cough or headache suggest spread. The team weighs the likely benefit for each person.

What blood tests are done before melanoma treatment?

The only blood test that forms part of melanoma staging is lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and it is used solely to subclassify stage IV. Other blood tests drawn before treatment, such as a full blood count and liver, kidney and thyroid function, establish a baseline before immunotherapy or targeted therapy rather than measuring the cancer. No blood test can diagnose melanoma or rule out early spread.

Can a shave biopsy affect melanoma staging?

It can. If a shave biopsy cuts through the base of the tumor, the pathologist cannot measure the full Breslow thickness and will report a depth of at least a certain figure. The team may stage conservatively or wait for the wide excision specimen, which is examined in full, to confirm the true thickness and finalize the stage and any decision about sentinel node biopsy.

Does the melanoma stage change if the cancer comes back?

The stage assigned at diagnosis remains on the record, and a return is described as recurrence, whether local, regional or distant. Clinically, though, the treatment conversation follows the current extent of disease, so a distant recurrence is managed in the same way as stage IV melanoma, including imaging, biopsy of the new site, LDH measurement and molecular testing of the tumor.

What does BRAF testing mean for melanoma staging?

BRAF testing does not change the stage. It identifies whether the tumor carries a mutation, found in roughly half of cutaneous melanomas, that keeps a growth signal switched on. The result determines whether BRAF and MEK inhibitor targeted therapy is a possible option for stage III or IV disease. Testing is performed on tissue already removed, so it rarely needs a new procedure, and interpretation sits with the oncology team.

References

• Melanoma skin cancer, NHS
• Melanoma, MedlinePlus
• Melanoma, Cleveland Clinic

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.