Haigan
Online ISSN : 1348-9992
Print ISSN : 0386-9628
ISSN-L : 0386-9628
Invited Review Articles
Review of the TNM Classification of Primary Lung Cancer, 8th Edition
Jun Nakajima
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JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS

2017 Volume 57 Issue 3 Pages 159-166

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Abstract

We herein review the outline of the new 8th TNM classification of lung cancer. The international TNM classification is formulated and revised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). The 8th TNM classification of the lung cancer has been applied to the primary lung cancer since January 2017. The UICC-TNM classification is identical to that defined by the Japan Lung Cancer Society, which was published in "Classification of Lung Cancer, ver. 8", at the same time as the 8th UICC-TNM book. The UICC-TNM classification was prepared by analyzing the database of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). The changes from the 7th to the 8th edition are summarized as follows: The T-descriptor of the largest diameter of the tumor was subdivided into 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 cm; the maximum diameter of the tumor was to be measured using the solid component of the tumor (i.e. the invasive part of the tumor), not the whole tumor including ground-glass opacity; the N classification was not changed; in the M classification, the M1b classification was subdivided into M1b (single metastasis of a single organ outside of the chest) and M1c (multiple extrathoracic metastases); Stage IA was subdivided into Stages IA1, IA2, and IA3; Stage IIIC was newly established; Stage IV was subdivided into Stages IVA and IVB; and the relationship between TNM and Stage has also been partly changed. These changes, issues with the 8th edition, and future perspectives are described in this report.

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© 2017 by The Japan Lung Cancer Society
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