Microstaging
Encyclopedia
Microstaging is a technique used to help determine the stage
(extent) of melanoma
and certain squamous cell cancers. A sample of skin
that contains tumor
tissue is examined under a microscope to find out how thick the tumor is and/or how deeply the tumor has grown into the skin or connective
tissues.
Cancer staging
The stage of a cancer is a description of the extent the cancer has spread. The stage often takes into account the size of a tumor, how deeply it has penetrated, whether it has invaded adjacent organs, how many lymph nodes it has metastasized to , and whether it has spread to distant organs...
(extent) of melanoma
Melanoma
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
and certain squamous cell cancers. A sample of skin
Skin
-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
that contains tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
tissue is examined under a microscope to find out how thick the tumor is and/or how deeply the tumor has grown into the skin or connective
Connective
Connective may be referring to:* Bains::connective* Logical connective* Connective tissue* Discourse connective, in linguistics, a word or phrase like "therefore" or "in other words"....
tissues.
External links
- Microstaging entry in the public domain NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms