Esophageal Cancer Staging

Callaloo
Callaloo Member Posts: 135
edited March 2014 in Esophageal Cancer #1
Thank you William for posting the general staging guidelines. Here is an article with the staging criteria specific to EC which some may find helpful. It was updated in July 2010:

Practice Guidelines in Oncology - v.2.201 0
American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM Classification of Carcinoma of the Esophagus*

Esophageal Cancer

Staging (TNM Classification)
Table 1

Primary Tumor (T):
TX Primary tumor cannot be assessed
TO No evidence of primary tumor
Tis Carcinoma in situ
T1 Tumor invades lamina propria or submucosa
T2 Tumor invades muscularis propria
T3 Tumor invades adventitia
T4 Tumor invades adjacent structures

Regional Lymph Nodes (N):
NX Regional lymph nodes cannot be assessed
NO No regional lymph node metastasis
N1 Regional lymph node metastasis

Distant Metastasis (M):
MX Distant metastasis cannot be assessed
MO No distant metastasis
M 1 Distant metastasis

Tumors of the lower thoracic esophagus:

M1a Metastasis in celiac lymph nodes
M1b Other distant metastasis

Tumors of the midthoracic esophagus:

M1a Not applicable
M1b Nonregional lymph nodes and/or other distant metastasis

Tumors of the upper thoracic esophagus:

M1a Metastasis in cervical nodes
M1b Other distant metastasis

Stage Grouping (How to use the TNM classifications in determining the Stage)

Stage 0 Tis N0 M0
Stage I T1 N0 M0
Stage IIA T2/T3 N0 M0

Stage IIB T1/T2 N1 M0


Stage III T3/T4 Any N M0

Stage IV Any T Any N M1a/M1b


**Used with permission of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), Chicago, Illinois. The original and primary source for this information is the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, Sixth Edition (2002) published by Springer-Verlag New York. (For more information, visit www.cancerstaging.net.) Any citation or quotation of this material must be credited to the AJCC as its primary source. The inclusion of this information herein does not authorize any reuse or further distribution without the expressed written permission of Springer-Verlag New York on behalf of the AJCC.

Comments

  • Callaloo
    Callaloo Member Posts: 135
    #2
    Oops... columns didn't translate
    so the chart is a little hard to read. In any event, you should be able to see that M=0 for any stage except stage IV, regardless of the T or N. So that's really why EC can't properly be staged until M is known.

    Anyway, here's another article on this website that may be of interest. It's also specific to EC staging:

    http://our.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3X_How_is_esophagus_cancer_staged_11.asp
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #3
    Callaloo said:

    Oops... columns didn't translate
    so the chart is a little hard to read. In any event, you should be able to see that M=0 for any stage except stage IV, regardless of the T or N. So that's really why EC can't properly be staged until M is known.

    Anyway, here's another article on this website that may be of interest. It's also specific to EC staging:

    http://our.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3X_How_is_esophagus_cancer_staged_11.asp

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • linda1120
    linda1120 Member Posts: 389
    #4
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    New Chart
    This helps me understand completely why they are saying Jim's cancer is not a IV with a MIa:

    Tumors of the midthoracic esophagus:
    M1a Not applicable

    Now I understand what the doctors are telling us. This is very helpful as we are facing surgery on January 5th. We are dealing with a surgical team that works with celiac involvement very often and has had excellent results. The stomach is clear, so all looks good. Please pray we have such good results!

    God Bless one and all,

    Linda

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