. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Jan 1.

Published in final edited form as: Surg Oncol Clin N Am. 2011 Jan;20(1):1–17. doi: 10.1016/j.soc.2010.09.007

Table 2.

Anatomic stage groupings for cutaneous melanoma (7^th edition).

	Clinical Staging^*				Pathologic Staging⁺
	T	N	M		T	N	M
0	Tis	N0	M0	0	Tis	N0	M0
IA	T1a	N0	M0	IA	T1a	N0	M0
IB	T1b	N0	M0	IB	T1b	N0	M0
	T2a	N0	M0		T2a	N0	M0
IIA	T2b	N0	M0	IIA	T2b	N0	M0
	T3a	N0	M0		T3a	N0	M0
IIB	T3b	N0	M0	IIB	T3b	N0	M0
	T4a	N0	M0		T4a	N0	M0
IIC	T4b	N0	M0	IIC	T4b	N0	M0
III	Any T	N > N0	M0	IIIA	Tl-4a	N1a	M0
					Tl-4a	N2a	M0
				IIIB	Tl-4b	N1a	M0
					Tl-4b	N2a	M0
					Tl-4a	N1b	M0
					Tl-4a	N2b	M0
					Tl-4a	N2c	M0
				IIIC	Tl-4b	N1b	M0
					Tl-4b	N2b	M0
					Tl-4b	N2c	M0
					Any T	N3	M0
IV	Any T	Any N	M1	IV	Any T	Any N	M1

Clinical staging includes microstaging of the primary melanoma and clinical/radiologic evaluation for metastases. By convention, it should be used after complete excision of the primary melanoma with clinical assessment for regional and distant metastases.

⁺

Pathologic staging includes microstaging of the primary melanoma and pathologic information about the regional lymph nodes after partial (ie, sentinel lymph node biopsy) or complete lymphadenectomy. Pathologic Stage 0 or Stage IA patients are the exception; they do not require pathologic evaluation of their lymph nodes.

From Balch CM, Gershenwald JE, Soong S, et al, J Clin Oncol 27(36): 6199-206, 2009; with permission.