2016 Volume 31 Issue 6 Pages 785-790
A revised edition (7th edition) of the General Rules for the Study of Pancreatic Cancer was published in 2016 after 7 years. Among the most significant highlights of the revision are the user-friendly descriptions and tumor classification consistent with the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) classification of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) (7th edition), which are easy to understand not only for surgeons and pathologists, but also for internists. Furthermore, the tradition from previous editions, wherein the addition of detailed items unique to General Rules that allows the emphasis of correlations of the stage classification with the prognosis based on the enormous data on pancreatic cancer registration, has been carried forward. Based on these two policies, the General Rules is highly appreciated, not only in Japan, but also in foreign countries, and is expected to be used widely by more doctors and researchers than ever.
