It's okay. Take a deep breath and read below; it's not nearly as bad as you think:
People often confuse STAGE IV with Clark's LEVEL IV. Stage IV means that melanoma has spread to distant and often internal organs. This could not be told just from a lab biopsy of a skin lesion on his leg. Clark's Level is commonly "staged" during a skin biopsy.
Clark level of invasion: A method for determining the prognosis (outlook) with melanoma. The method was devised by the pathologist Wallace Clark and measures the depth of penetration of a melanoma into the skinaccording to anatomic layer.
There are five Clark levels of invasion:
- Level I: Melanomas confined to the outermost layer of the skin, theepidermis. Also called "melanoma in-situ."
- Level II: Penetration by melanomas into the second layer of the skin, the dermis.
- Levels III-IV: Melanomas invade deeper through the dermis, but are still contained completely within the skin.
- Level V: Penetration of melanoma into the fat of the skin beneath the dermis, penetration into the third layer of the skin, the subcutis.
Ask for a copy of the pathology report, and feel free to post the results here. Many knowledgeable people here could make sense of it for you.
As you can see, Clark's Level IV has to do with depth of the lesion. This is vastly different from a Stage IV diagnosis. Best of luck to your father!
Michelle, wife of Don
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