TY - JOUR
T1 - Rethinking TNM
T2 - A breast cancer classification to guide to treatment and facilitate research
AU - Veronesi, Umberto
AU - Zurrida, Stefano
AU - Viale, Giuseppe
AU - Galimberti, Viviana
AU - Arnone, Paolo
AU - Nolè, Franco
PY - 2009/5
Y1 - 2009/5
N2 - The TNM
UICC classification of breast cancer categorizes tumor size, regional lymph node involvement, and distant metastases. Treatment is influenced by these characteristics, but requires knowledge of several other factors. In fact, effective treatment is dependent on disease extent, hormone receptor status, and other biologic characteristics of the cancer. We propose a new classification [tumor node metastasis (TNM)] that not only includes relevant biologic characteristics and can expand to include others as they are validated but also specifies tumor size exactly (T2.3 indicates a cancer of maximum diameter 2.3 cm), provides more information on regional lymph node involvement, and specifies the site(s) of distant metastases. We also propose abolishing the term carcinoma for non-invasive neoplastic conditions and the term infiltrating for carcinomas. The new classification is sufficiently similar to the TNM
UICC classification to permit valid comparison of patients classified by both systems, but is more logical, provides information useful for guiding therapy, and is flexible enough to satisfy present and future clinical and research needs.
AB - The TNM
UICC classification of breast cancer categorizes tumor size, regional lymph node involvement, and distant metastases. Treatment is influenced by these characteristics, but requires knowledge of several other factors. In fact, effective treatment is dependent on disease extent, hormone receptor status, and other biologic characteristics of the cancer. We propose a new classification [tumor node metastasis (TNM)] that not only includes relevant biologic characteristics and can expand to include others as they are validated but also specifies tumor size exactly (T2.3 indicates a cancer of maximum diameter 2.3 cm), provides more information on regional lymph node involvement, and specifies the site(s) of distant metastases. We also propose abolishing the term carcinoma for non-invasive neoplastic conditions and the term infiltrating for carcinomas. The new classification is sufficiently similar to the TNM
UICC classification to permit valid comparison of patients classified by both systems, but is more logical, provides information useful for guiding therapy, and is flexible enough to satisfy present and future clinical and research needs.
KW - Biologic variables
KW - Breast cancer
KW - TNM classification
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U2 - 10.1111/j.1524-4741.2009.00719.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1524-4741.2009.00719.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 19645785
AN - SCOPUS:65549117451
VL - 15
SP - 291
EP - 295
JO - Breast Journal
JF - Breast Journal
SN - 1075-122X
IS - 3
ER -