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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staff
Diagnosing skin cancer
To diagnose skin cancer, your doctor may:
- Examine your skin. Your doctor may look at your skin to determine whether your skin changes are likely to be skin cancer. Further testing may be needed to confirm that diagnosis.
- Remove a sample of suspicious skin for testing (skin biopsy). Your doctor may remove a small sample of suspicious-looking skin for laboratory testing. A biopsy can determine whether you have skin cancer and, if so, what type of skin cancer you have.
Determining the extent of the skin cancer
If your doctor determines you have skin cancer, he or she may recommend additional tests to determine the extent, or stage, of the skin cancer. Because superficial skin cancers such as basal or squamous cell carcinoma rarely spread, a biopsy often is the only test needed to determine the cancer stage. But if you have a large growth or one that's existed for some time, your doctor may recommend further tests to determine the extent of the cancer.
Skin cancer is generally divided into two stages:
- Local. In this stage, cancer affects only the skin.
- Metastatic. At this point, cancer has spread beyond the skin.
The skin cancer's stage helps determine which treatment options will be most effective.
- What you need to know about skin cancer. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/skin. Accessed April 19, 2010.
- What you need to know about melanoma. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/melanoma/allpages. Accessed April 21, 2010.
- Melanoma: What it looks like. SkinCancerNet. http://www.skincarephysicians.com/skincancernet/melanoma.html. Accessed April 30, 2010.
- Wood GS, et al. Nonmelanoma skin cancers: Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th edition. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191173937-2/0/1709/0.html#. Accessed April 30, 2010.
- What is skin cancer? SkinCancerNet. http://www.skincarephysicians.com/skincancernet/whatis.html. Accessed April 21, 2010.
- Kaposi sarcoma treatment (PDQ): Patient version. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/kaposis/patient/allpages/print. Accessed April 30, 2010.
- Skin cancer treatment (PDQ): Health professional version. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/skin/healthprofessional. Accessed April 19, 2010.
- Valeyrie-Allanore L, et al. Drug-induced skin, nail and hair disorders. Drug Safety. 2007;30:1011.
- What is Kaposi sarcoma? American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_Kaposis_Sarcoma_21.asp?rnav=cri. Accessed May 18, 2010.
- Lazovich D, et al. Indoor tanning and risk of melanoma: A case-control study in a highly exposed population. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. 2010;19(6):1557. http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2010/05/21/1055-9965.EPI-09-1249.full.pdf. Accessed May 27, 2010.
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