New ajcc/uicc staging system for head and neck, and thyroid cancer

摘要

The AJCC/UICC staging system is a major tool in oncology, currently used worldwide for clinical, pathological and recurrent disease staging. Squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the head and neck are a heterogeneous disease. The TNM classification offers a reliable method for estimating the prognosis of patients with cancer based on certain characteristics of the tumor. It is also used in planning treatment, and has helped to standardize the way cancer is staged and treatment results are reported around the world. Although the original TNM system was based solely on the anatomic extent of the tumor, other non-anatomic parameters have found their way into the staging paradigm. The objective of this communication is to present the characteristics of the TNM staging system and review the current modification in the 8thversion of the head and neck cancer staging. The last sentence should be revised to T**he o***bjective of this article is to describe the characteristics of the TNM staging system and review the changes made to head and neck cancer staging in the most recent (8th) edition.