When you visit our clinic, our doctors have a variety of ways to screen and diagnose you for cancer. Examine your skin – Our doctor will look for any unusual skin changes that are signs of skin cancer. Additional testing is often needed to confirm any suspicion of cancer. Skin Biopsy – A biopsy is when a sample of the suspicious tissue is removed and sent to a lab for testing. Our doctor will remove a sample of suspicious skin and send it out to determine if it is cancerous and what type of cancer it could be. Diagnose the extent of skin cancer – If skin cancer has been detected, additional testing is usually needed to see how far along or stage the cancer is in. Superficial skin cancer rarely spreads, and a biopsy that removes it to be tested usually removes it completely. Other cancers may require additional testing to determine its stage. Because superficial skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma rarely spread, a biopsy that removes the entire growth often is the only test needed to determine the cancer stage. But if you have a large squamous cell carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma or melanoma, your doctor may recommend further tests to determine the extent of cancer. These could include imaging to examine different parts of your body or biopsy a nearby lymph node to look for additional signs of cancer.