TNM is the globally accepted method of describing the anatomical extent of cancer.
Effective care for cancer patients means considering the cancer’s site of origin, its histological type, and its extent. The globally accepted method for describing the extent of cancer is the Tumour-Node-Metastasis classification system. TNM is based on the anatomical extent of disease, and is an important component both of patient care and research.
The seventh edition of TNM Classification of Malignant Tumours is soon being published by the International Union against Cancer (UICC) and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC).
Differences between the sixth and seventh editions are outlined in the presentation linked below, kindly made available by the UICC. Changes take effect on January 1, 2010.
