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NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms

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stage II nonmelanoma skin cancer  listen  (… non-MEH-luh-NOH-muh skin KAN-ser)

  The tumor is larger than 2 centimeters at its widest point; or the tumor is any size and has two or more of the following high-risk features: (1) is thicker than 2 millimeters; (2) has spread into the lower layer of the dermis or into the layer of fat below the skin; (3) has grown and spread along nerve pathways; (4) began on an ear or on a lip that has hair on it; or (5) has cells that look very different from normal cells under a microscope.

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Stage II nonmelanoma skin cancer; drawing shows a tumor that is more than 2 centimeters wide that has spread from the epidermis (outer layer of the skin) into the dermis (inner layer of the skin). Also shown is the subcutaneous tissue below the dermis.