STAGING

STAGING

Staging is required to document tumour size, location and disease extent, as well as to formulate a treatment plan and - facilitate discussion of prognosis with the patient. Additionally , it is an important tool for comparative outcome reporting. The eighth edition of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)/American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) tumour–node–metastasis (TNM) staging manual ( Table 53.1 ) has introduced changes in how oral cavity cancers are staged. The most significant updates for oral cancer are: (i) the inclusion of depth of invasion (DOI) as an element for determining the - T stage of primary tumours and (ii) recognition of extranodal extension (ENE) as a feature necessitating upstaging of nodal disease. This recognition of additional negative prognostic ary factors in the eighth edition should allow improved stratifica - tion of outcomes for patients. - 2 STAGING

Staging is required to document tumour size, location and disease extent, as well as to formulate a treatment plan and - facilitate discussion of prognosis with the patient. Additionally , it is an important tool for comparative outcome reporting. The eighth edition of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)/American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) tumour–node–metastasis (TNM) staging manual ( Table 53.1 ) has introduced changes in how oral cavity cancers are staged. The most significant updates for oral cancer are: (i) the inclusion of depth of invasion (DOI) as an element for determining the - T stage of primary tumours and (ii) recognition of extranodal extension (ENE) as a feature necessitating upstaging of nodal disease. This recognition of additional negative prognostic ary factors in the eighth edition should allow improved stratifica - tion of outcomes for patients. - 2