What does it mean to have a "thin" melanoma?

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PeterBeitschMD (Physician - Surgery - Surgical Oncology (Verified) ) - 07 / 29 / 2012

Melanomas (and most cancers) are staged by 3 means - tumor, nodes, and distant metastases. For melanoma the 'tumor' is actually a measurement of the exact thickness of the melanoma measured in millimters. 'Thin' melanomas are less than 0.75 millimeter thick. The risk of spreading elsewhere (either to regional lymph nodes or throughout the body) is extremely low in 'thin' melanomas. Often, the removal of the sentinel lymph node (the lymph node that drains that patch of skin) is not done for thin melanomas but this will be a decision for you and your surgical oncologist.
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