TNM classification
Oncology, staging and radiology
Also known as: TNM staging · TNM-Klassifikation · TNM-System (UICC) · TNM sınıflaması · TNM evrelemesi · TNM classification of malignant tumours (general rules)
What it is for
The TNM system of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) describes the anatomical extent of a solid cancer with three components; the site-specific chapters define the exact categories, which are then grouped into stages I–IV.
Classification
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| T | extent of the primary tumour (TX cannot be assessed, T0 no evidence of primary tumour, Tis carcinoma in situ, T1–T4 increasing size and/or local extension). |
| N | regional lymph node metastasis (NX cannot be assessed, N0 none, N1–N3 increasing nodal involvement). |
| M | distant metastasis (M0 none, M1 present; some sites subdivide M1). |
| Prefixes | c = clinical (before treatment), p = pathological (resection specimen), y = classified during or after initial multimodal therapy (e.g. ypT0 N0), r = recurrent tumour staged after a documented disease-free interval, a = classified at autopsy. The suffix (m) marks multiple primary tumours at one site, e.g. pT(m). |
| R (residual tumour) | RX presence of residual tumour cannot be assessed; R0 no residual tumour; R1 microscopic residual tumour; R2 macroscopic residual tumour. |
| G (histological grade) | GX cannot be assessed; G1–G4 from well differentiated to undifferentiated; several sites use their own grading systems. |
| L, V, Pn | lymphatic invasion LX/L0/L1; venous invasion VX/V0/V1 (microscopic)/V2 (macroscopic); perineural invasion PnX/Pn0/Pn1. |
| Note | the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) manual uses the same T, N and M categories with its own stage groupings and prognostic factors for some sites. |
Source
TNM Classification of Malignant Tumours, 9th edition
UICC · Brierley JD, Giuliani M, O'Sullivan B, Rous B, Van Eycken L (eds). Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford 2025
- Edition
- UICC TNM Classification of Malignant Tumours, 9th edition (2025); the general rules (prefixes, R, L, V, Pn) are unchanged in principle from the 8th edition
- Checked on
Summary of the published classification in our own words. Not a substitute for the original publication.
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