New recommendations for staging lung cancer using the TNM system for description of the primary tumor (T), the regional lymph nodes (N), and distant metastases (M) have been adopted by the American Joint Committee on Cancer and the Union Internationale Contre le Cancer. Revisions in TNM definitions and stage grouping rules were made in response to the needs of investigators throughout the world for staging that is consistent in meaning among all specialties and among all countries. The new international system has five stage groups, 0, I, II, IIIa, IIIb and IV, that provide for classification of six levels of disease extent. A number of elements used in prior staging recommendations have been retained; however, new descriptors for the degree of progression in tumors with extrapulmonary extension and for the levels of regional lymph node metastasis have been structured. The new system allows for specific definition of «limited» and «extensive» disease categories that can be reproduced and compared. It meets the goal of providing an internationally acceptable staging system for lung cancer that is useful for estimating prognosis, reporting end results and selection of appropriate treatment.
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