Comparison of the 7th and proposed 8th editions of the AJCC/UICC TNM staging system for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma underwent radical surgery

Background

Recently, the 8th edition of the TNM classification of esophageal cancer has come up. The present study aims to compare the 7th and the proposed 8th edition of the AJCC/UICC TNM staging system for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Is the new UICC staging system of gastric cancer reasonable? (Comparison of 5-year survival rate of gastric cancer by old and new UICC stage classification).

In the new UICC TNM system for gastric cancer approved in 1985, a T1 lesion with lymph node (LN) metastasis is classified as stage, Ib; in the old TNM system this was classified as stage III. This is contradictory to a general rule of the UICC TNM system, whereby cancer with LN metastasis is classified as stage II or III. Two thousand and sixty-three patients with less than T4 gastric cancer who were treated at Seoul National University Hospital from 1970 to 1986 were analysed for significant prognostic factors. Survival curves were subsequently analysed according to the number of LN metastases and the depth of invasion. As a result of multivariate study for clinical and pathological features such as age, tumour location, gross appearance, histological type, depth of tumour invasion and regional lymph node metastasis, we confirmed that only two factors--regional lymph node metastasis and depth of gastric wall invasion--are significant. We showed that when the LN variable is classified according to the number of LN metastases (0 group, 1-3 group, > 3 group) like the UICC TNM classification of colorectal cancer, the survival curves are similar to those reported by the Japanese Research Society for Gastric Cancer. The authors propose the modification of the UICC TNM classification system according to depth of invasion and the number of LN metastases, whereby a T1 lesion with LN metastasis is classified as stage IIa instead of stage 1b.     

Evaluation of the New American Joint Committee on Cancer/International Union against cancer classification of lymph node metastasis from gastric carcinoma in comparison with the Japanese classification.

BACKGROUND: A new system for the classification of gastric carcinoma, based on the number of metastatic lymph nodes, has been adopted by the current American Joint Committee on Cancer/International Union Against Cancer (AJCC/UICC) TNM system (1997). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rationality of this classification in comparison with the Japanese classification, which is based on the location of positive lymph nodes. METHODS: The authors analyzed 587 patients who underwent clinically curative gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy for gastric carcinoma and each had 15 or more lymph nodes histologically examined from 1982 to 1992. Multivariate analysis with the Cox proportional hazards model was carried out to determine which classification was more effective. RESULTS: Within the pN1 or pN2 category of the new AJCC/UICC system, no significant difference in the survival rates existed between n1 patients and n2 patients of the Japanese classification. On the other hand, the survival rates significantly decreased, in the order of pN1, pN2, and pN3 (from greatest to smallest decrease), within the n1 and n2 categories. In multivariate analysis, lymph node involvement by the AJCC/UICC classification was selected as the most significant prognostic determinant, whereas the Japanese lymph node classification was not significantly prognostic. When survival rates were calculated within the pT1, pT2, and pT3-4 categories, no differences existed between pN0 and pN1. There was some discrepancy between the survival rate for each pT and pN category and the corresponding stage. CONCLUSIONS: The new AJCC/UICC classification for lymph node involvement of gastric carcinoma is basically acceptable and considered superior to the Japanese classification. Further analysis involving a greater number of cases may be necessary to confirm the applicability of this staging system.     

美国癌症研究联合会两版临床分期标准对局部晚期胃癌疗后预测价值比较

目的 比较美国癌症研究联合会第6、7版分期对局部晚期胃癌根治术后的预后预测。方法 对2002-2004年在本院接受胃癌根治性手术(R0切除且＞D1淋巴结清扫)、病理诊断为T3-4N0～1M0、TxN2-3 M0期的297例患者分别按两版分期标准进行分期,比较两版分期的N、TNM分期中5年总生存(OS)、无瘤生存(DFS...     

Endocrine carcinoma of the stomach: clinicopathological analysis of 27 surgically treated cases in a single institute

Background

Gastric endocrine carcinoma (EC) is an uncommon tumor of the stomach and the clinical features are not well known. Additionally, the classification and staging systems of this tumor are not yet unified worldwide. In this study, we reviewed 27 patients with gastric EC to evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics of this tumor.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 27 patients with gastric EC among 6466 patients who had undergone gastrectomy between 1986 and 2008 at our institute. Clinicopathological features including immunohistochemistry of Ki-67 were investigated to evaluate the malignant potential of the tumor. Furthermore, survivals were compared between the 7th edition of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC)-TNM (7th TNM) classification for gastric cancer (GC) and the new TNM classification for foregut neuroendocrine tumors (NET).

Results

The median survival of the patients was 19.0?months. The 5-year survival rate was 100% in pathological stage (pStage) I, 40% in pStage II, 38% in pStage III, and 11% in pStage IV according to the 7th TNM classification for GC. Survivals by stage showed great difference between the 7th TNM classification for GC and the new TNM classification for foregut NET, but each system correlated with survival. The Ki-67 labeling index was more than 20% in most of the patients. Univariate analysis revealed that maximum tumor diameter, tumor depth, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, pStage, and curability had significant correlations with survival.

Conclusion

Early detection and curative operations are essential for improving the prognosis of gastric EC. However, some adjuvant chemotherapies are required for advanced-stage tumors. Classification and staging systems may need to be unified worldwide for further analysis.     

Prognostic impact of positive lymph node ratio in gastric carcinoma

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prognostic value of metastatic lymph node ratio in gastric carcinoma. METHODS: One hundred and sixty four patients who underwent D(2) dissection for gastric carcinoma at Ankara Oncology Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. The prognostic factors including Japanese classification, AJCC/UICC TNM classification and metastatic lymph node ratio (1-10% and >10%) were evaluated in univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: The multivariate analysis showed that Borrmann classification, pN-category of AJCC/UICC classification and metastatic lymph node ratio were the most significant prognostic factors and a higher hazard ratio was obtained for metastatic lymph node ratio than pN category of AJCC/UICC classification (4.5 vs. 11.4). When the metastatic ratio groups of 1-10% and >10% were subdivided into pN(1), pN(2) and pN(3) categories of the AJCC/UICC classification, there was no statistical difference between survival curves. When pN(1), pN(2) and pN(3) categories of the AJCC/UICC classification were subdivided into the ratio groups of 1-10% and >10%, the survival rate of ratio group 1-10% was better than ratio group >10%. CONCLUSION: With its simplicity and reproducibility, metastatic lymph node ratio can be used as a reliable prognostic indicator.     

External validation of a modified 8th AJCC TNM system for advanced gastric cancer: Long-term results in southern China

Background

The 8th edition of AJCC TNM staging manual for gastric cancer (GC) has been validated by several studies. A modified staging system based on it and total harvested number of lymph nodes (LNs; cutoff: 30) is suggested to improve predictive capacities for advanced GC. This study is designed to validate the modified method using a single-center database in Southern China.

Ratio of metastatic lymph nodes: Impact on staging and survival of gastric cancer

Aims

No consensus exists on the level and number of lymph nodes to be dissected and examined for accurate staging of patients with resectable gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to examine the prognostic value and staging accuracy of the metastatic lymph nodes ratio (NR).

Methods

The postoperative survival of 247 patients with gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy was analyzed. Lymph nodes status was assigned according to three different classifications: 6th UICC/AJCC TNM; JGCA; NR (NR0: 0%; NR1: ≤20%; NR2: >20%). Staging accuracy of the three classifications was compared according to patients survival.

Results

A significant difference in survival was observed in patients with NR1 versus NR2. At multivariate analysis only NR along with pT and grading were found to be independent prognostic factors. Stage migration was present in 84 cases (51%) with JGCA classification, in 30 (19%) with 6th UICC/AJCC TNM classification and in only 18 cases (11%) when NR was applied.

Conclusions

Our data showed that NR is a simply reproducible and highly reliable staging system with a strong ability to predict patients' outcome. Compared to other nodal staging classifications, NR is less influenced from the number of the lymph nodes dissected and examined, reducing the stage migration phenomenon.     

Cancer of the supraglottic larynx with neck node metastasis treated by radiation therapy only. The revised 1987 UICC classification system as prognostic indicator

In 1987, a thoroughly renewed TNM classification was published; the revision was a conjunct effort of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). With respect to the former UICC classification, a major change was introduced regarding the regional lymph node subcategories in head and neck cancer; that is compared to the 1978 edition the subjective subcategory of fixation was eliminated and size of the lymph node has become of paramount importance. To see whether the 1987 UICC classification system is indeed more predictive and discriminatory than the 1978 edition, we have analysed patients with supraglottic cancer with clinically detectable lymph node metastasis (T1-4, N+). All patients treated between 1965 and 1980 by radiation therapy only were staged according to both editions of the UICC classification system. From these data we conclude that the prognosis of patients with lymph nodal involvement indeed worsens from N1 to N3 when classified according to the 1987 edition; in contrast, no difference is seen between the N1, N2 or N3 subcategories when staged according to the 1978 classification rules.     

Prognostic prediction in gastric cancer patients without serosal invasion： comparative study between UICC 7~（th） edition and JCGS 13~（th） edition N-classification systems

Objective： T-stage and N-stage have been proven to be the most important factors influencing survival in gastric cancer patients, and have been accepted for use in the Japanese Classification of Gastric Carcinoma（JCGC） and the Union International Cancer Control（UICC-TNM） staging systems. The purpose of this study was to compare the prognostic values of the different N classification systems in gastric cancer patients without serosal invasion.Methods： We retrospectively compared the clinicopathological results of 1,115 patients with primary gastric cancer who underwent curative gastric resection.
Results： Serosal invasion was identified in 212 of 1,115 patients（19.0%）, and it was associated with lymph node metastasis according to the JCGC^13th（P〈0.001） and TNM^7th（P〈0.001） systems. The 5-year survival rate for the serosal invasion-negative patients（78.2%） was significantly higher than that for the serosal invasion-positive patients（31.1%）（P〈0.001）. Multivariate Cox regression survival analysis showed that depth of invasion（P=0.013）, 13 th JCGC PN stage（P〈0.001）, and 7th TNM PN stage（P〈0.001） were independent prognostic factors for serosal invasion-negative gastric cancer patients.
Conclusions： The prognosis of gastric cancer patients with serosal invasion is very poor. Both the 13 th JCGC and 7th TNM N-staging systems were able to accurately estimate the prognosis of gastric cancer patients, but the 7th TNM system was simpler and easier to use.     

Determining of metastatic lymph node ratio in patients who underwent D2 dissection for gastric cancer

The purpose of this study was to determine outcome of the ratio of metastatic lymph nodes to the total number of dissected lymph nodes (MLR) in patients with gastric cancer. We retrospectively analyzed 111 patients who underwent D₂ lymph node dissection. The prognostic factors including UICC/AJCC TNM classification and MLR were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. The MLR was significantly higher in patients with a larger tumor, lymphatic vessel invasion, blood vessel invasion and perineural invasion, and advanced stage. Moreover, the MLR was significantly associated with the depth of invasion and the number of lymph node metastasis. The univariate analysis revealed for overall survival (OS) that stage of disease, lymphatic vessel invasion, blood vessel invasion, perineural invasion, lymph node metastasis (UICC/AJCC pN stage) and MLR were relevant prognostic indicators. Furthermore, both UICC/AJCC pN stage and MLR were detected as prognostic factor by multivariate analysis, as was perineural invasion. Our results indicated that MLR and UICC/AJCC pN staging system were important prognostic factors for OS of patients with D₂ lymph node dissection in gastric cancer in a multivariate analysis. MLR may be useful for evaluating the status of lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer.     

食管癌AJCC/UICC第6、7版TNM分期分段方法在放疗患者中的比较

目的 探讨食管癌AJCC/UICC第6、第7版分期中分段方式在放射治疗患者中应用的合理性及对预后的影响。方法 对符合入组条件的265例食管癌放射治疗患者进行回顾分析,依照AJCC/UICC2009年第7版食管癌TNM分期标准及第6版食管癌TNM分期标准中的分段方法,进行分段比较分析,并进行单因素、多因素生存分析。结果 按照AJCC/UICC第7版食管癌TNM分期中的分段标准,食管原发灶位于颈段46例、胸上段76例、胸中段83例、胸下段60例。按照第6版食管癌TNM分期中分段标准,食管原发灶位于颈段16例、胸上段83例、胸中段132例、胸下段34例。根据两种分段结果是否一致分为两组：一致组（169例）及差异组（96例）,一致组中颈段及胸上、中、下段食管癌患者1、2、3年生存率分别为70.6%、64.7%、64.7%;84.3%、57.8%、53.6%;53.4%、32.7%、21.0%及71.4%、40.2%、40.2%（P=0.001）。差异组中,各段生存率未见差异。Cox回归模型多因素生存分析,结果显示第6版分期的分段方式及放疗剂量对预后的影响有统计学意义。结论 两种分期方法对颈段、胸中段、胸下段食管癌的判定差异较大,第6版分期标准中的分段方法可以较好预测放疗患者的生存,颈段、胸上段食管癌患者放疗后生存优于胸中、下段食管癌患者。     

AJCC第7版与第6版胃癌TNM分期的比较:一项基于预后分析的918例中国胃癌人群的回顾性研究

目的:本研究旨在评价美国癌症联合会(American Joint Committee on Cancer,AJCC)第7版胃癌TNM分期系统在判断预后方面是否优于AJCC第6版胃癌TNM分期系统.方法:对2003年1月-2008年12月单一中心的918例胃癌患者分别采用AJCC第6版和第7版胃癌TNM分期系统进行重新分期,采用单因素和多因素分析评价这2种胃癌TNM分期系统在判断预后中的价值.采用Akaike信息标准(Akaike's Information Criterion,AIC)评价这2个分期系统的优劣.结果:AJCC第7版胃癌TNM分期系统中,T、N和M分期亚组的总生存时间差异有统计学意义.对患者进行Ⅰ～Ⅳ期临床分期,则无论是按照AJCC胃癌TNM分期系统第6版还是第7版,Ⅰ～Ⅳ期这4条生存曲线的差异均有统计学意义(P值均为0.000);按照AJCC第7版胃癌TNM分期系统的8个亚分期,ⅠA期和ⅠB期、ⅠB期和Ⅱ A期、Ⅱ B期和Ⅲ A期、Ⅲ A期和Ⅲ B期以及Ⅲ B期和Ⅲ C期的生存曲线差异均无统计学意义(P=0.643、P=0.267、P=0.534、P=0.124、P=0.174).AJCC第7版胃癌TNM分期系统的AIC值小于第6版.结论:AJCC第7版胃癌TNM分期系统在预测预后价值方面要优于第6版,但前者的优势十分有限,且存在一定缺陷.     

The effectiveness of the 8th American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM classification in the prognosis evaluation of gastric cancer patients: A comparative study between the 7th and 8th editions

Background

The 8th edition of the AJCC TNM staging system for gastric cancer was released in 2016 and included major revisions, especially of stage III.

In-depth evaluation of the AJCC/UICC 1997 staging system of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: prognostic homogeneity and proposed refinements

PURPOSE: To critically evaluate the American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC)/International Union Against Cancer (UICC) 1997 staging system and look back on its achievements by comparing it with the AJCC/UICC 1992 and Ho 1978 staging systems. To identify areas for additional refinement, we analyzed the prognostic heterogeneity within each stage in depth, which provided important clues for the addition or better categorization of the different defining criteria. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We performed a retrospective review of the data from 1294 consecutive biopsy-proven nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients and staged the extent of disease according to the defining criteria of the three staging systems. All patients had undergone detailed pretreatment assessment by fiberoptic endoscopy and CT. Radical-intent radiotherapy was given using the Ho technique according to our standard protocol. RESULTS: The AJCC/UICC 1997 staging system was superior to the other two staging systems, because it assigned patients to more uniform-size stage groupings and correlated better with prognosis. Parapharyngeal space involvement was not an independent predictor for survival, local control, or metastasis. On the other hand, carotid space involvement correlated with a greater likelihood of metastasis. Prognostic heterogeneity was found. Those with orbit, cranial nerve, or intracranial involvement fared worse within Stage T4; those with a maximal lymph node size >3 cm fared worse within Stage N2; and those with bilateral lymph node metastasis fared worse within Stage N3. CONCLUSION: The prognostic accuracy of the AJCC/UICC 1997 staging system can be improved further by recategorization of the T, N, and group stage criteria.     

国际抗癌联盟和日本胃癌协会胃癌淋巴结分期法与国人胃癌患者预后相关性的比较

目的 比较国际抗癌联盟(UICC)和日本胃癌协会(JGCA)两种胃癌淋巴结分期法与胃癌预后的相关性,评价其在胃癌预后评估中的指导意义和应用价值.方法 1996年1月至2005年12月间,经D2及以上胃癌根治手术,清扫淋巴结数目≥15枚,并有完整随访资料的395例胃癌患者为研究对象,分别以两种淋巴结分期法进行分期并绘制生存曲线.以Kaplan-Meier法进行生存率分析,Log rank检验评估组间的差异.结果 按UICC法分期后,各组间患者的生存率差异更明显.对T3期患者分别以两种方法分组并进行生存率比较显示,按照UICC法分期各组间的差异更明显.对两种分期后的N亚期以另一种标准相互再分期后,生存曲线显示,以UICC法对JGCA法分期后的各组再分期所产生的差异比以JGCA法对UICC法分期后的各组再分期后所产生的差异明显.在JGCA分期标准中,Ⅰa、Ⅰb、Ⅱ、Ⅲa、Ⅲb和Ⅳ期患者的5年生存率分别为100.0%、96.9%、79.3%、54.2%、16.8%和11.2%;在UICC TNM分期标准中,其5年生存率分别为100.0%、96.9%、75.4%、51.8%、18.4%和10.5%.各期患者的5年生存率差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05).结论 UICC TNM胃癌分期标准与预后的相关性更好,对胃癌患者的预后评估和治疗方案的制定有更为客观的指导意义;而施行标准的D2胃癌根治手术和清扫至少15枚淋巴结是实行UICC分期法所必需的.     

Prognostic value of the 7th edition of the AJCC staging system as a clinical staging system in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background/Aims

In 2009, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) published the 7th edition of the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) staging system. We investigated the prognostic value of the 7th AJCC staging system as a clinical staging system in patients with HCC.

Methods

We retrospectively applied the 6th and 7th AJCC systems to 877 patients who were diagnosed with HCC between January 2004 and December 2006 using radiological findings and compared the performance of the AJCC systems to that of the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) system. The prognostic power was quantified using a linear trend χ² test and -2 log likelihood.

Results

The median age was 57 years and males predominated (n = 701, 79.9%). There was no significant difference in survival between adjoining advanced stages of the 6th and 7th AJCC systems (?stage IIIA in the 6th and ?stage IIIB in the 7th; all p > 0.05), although a significant difference between adjoining early stages was identified. The 7th AJCC system had greater prognostic power than the 6th (linear trend χ² test, 168.195 versus 160.293; -2 log likelihood, 7366.347 versus 7396.380), but not greater than that of the BCLC system (linear trend χ² test = 207.013, -2 log likelihood = 7320.726).

Conclusions

The 7th AJCC staging system provided better prognostic power than the 6th for patients with HCC, but not better than that of the BCLC system. Thus, the 7th AJCC staging system should be applied cautiously in patients with advanced HCC because of its low prognostic power in advanced stages.     

A novel lymph node staging system for gastric cancer including modified Union for cancer Control/American Joint Committee on cancer and Japanese Gastric Cancer Association criteria

BackgroundThe TNM system of the International Union for Cancer Control/American Joint Committee on Cancer (UICC/AJCC) and the Japanese Gastric Cancer Association (JGCA) systems are the most used lymph node (LN) staging systems in gastric cancer. This study estimated the influence of anatomic location-based node stations on survival and proposed a new staging method based on both the number and anatomical distribution of metastatic LNs (mLNs).MethodsStage I–III gastric cancer patients with radical gastrectomy were retrospectively evaluated. Overall survival (OS) was estimated in 1786 patients with UICC/AJCC stage N1–N3b disease and compared with estimates obtained using JGCA group 1–3 mLN staging.ResultsThe OS of UICC/AJCC stage N1–N3b patients with group 2 JGCA mLNs was significantly worse than that of patients with only group 1 mLNs. The OS of the patients with group 2 mLNs was similar to that of patients with group 1 mLNs but in the next more advanced UICC/AJCC-N stage. The OS of patients with group 3 mLNs was worse than that of patients with any UICC/AJCC-N stage and was similar to that of N3b patients with group 2 mLNs. A new pathological node (pN) staging classification was developed that advanced the N-staging of patients with group 2 mLNs. It was a better indicator of prognosis than the eighth UICC/AJCC-N and the thirteenth JGCA group staging systems.ConclusionsA simple, accurate pN staging system including both the number and location of mLNs had improved homogeneity, discriminatory ability, and gradient monotonicity.     

Clinical implication of an insufficient number of examined lymph nodes after curative resection for gastric cancer

BACKGROUND:

The seventh edition of the tumor, lymph node (LN), metastasis (TNM) staging system increased the required number of examined LNs in gastric cancer from 15 to 16. However, the same staging system defines lymph node‐negative gastric cancer regardless of the number of examined LNs. In this study, the authors evaluated whether gastric cancer can be staged properly with fewer than 15 examined LNs.

METHODS:

The survival rates of 10,010 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy from 1987 to 2007 were analyzed. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the number of examined LNs, termed the “insufficient” group (≤15 examined LNs) and the “sufficient” group (≥16 examined LNs). The survival curves of patients from both groups were compared according to the seventh edition of the TNM classification.

RESULTS:

Three hundred sixteen patients (3.2%) had ≤15 examined LNs for staging after they underwent standard, curative lymphadenectomy. Patients who had T1 tumor classification, N0 lymph node status, and stage I disease with an insufficient number of examined LNs after curative gastrectomy had a significantly worse prognosis than patients who had ≥16 examined LNs. Moreover, having an insufficient number of examined LNs was an independent prognostic factor for patients who had T1, N0, and stage I disease.

CONCLUSIONS:

Lymph node‐negative cancers in which ≤15 LNs were examined, classified as N0 in the new TNM staging system, could not adequately predict patient survival after curative gastrectomy, especially in patients with early stage gastric cancer. Cancer 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society.     

Topographic lymph node staging system shows prognostic superiority compared to the 8th edition of AJCC TNM in gastric cancer. A western monocentric experience

IntroductionThe current Tumor Node Metastasis staging system (TNM) for gastric cancer classifies the extent of lymph node metastasis based upon the number of lymph nodes involved. Choi et al. have recently proposed a new anatomical classification based upon the regionality of the involved nodes. This new classification seems to have a better predictive prognostic value than the traditional one. We investigated the prognostic role of the new anatomical based classification, reviewing our institutional gastric cancer database.MethodsWe performed a retrospective chart review of 329 patients who underwent gastrectomy at our Institution from 2003 to 2017. We excluded from data analysis any patient with distant metastases at the time of first diagnosis and or surgery, pathology other than adenocarcinoma, lymphadenectomy less than D2, impossibility to identify location of lymph nodes (LNs) on pathological report and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The extent of D2 lymphadenectomy was defined according to Japanese Gastric Cancer Association criteria. LN metastasis were reclassified into three topographic groups (lesser, greater curvature, and extraperigastric nodes) and staged according to Choi. The new N stage was combined with the current pT according to the 8th edition of TNM and a new hybrid TNM stage was established. All patients were followed up until June 2019. The prognostic performance of the new stage and of the current anatomical numeric based system (TNM) was analyzed and assessed by the C-index, AIC and likelihood ratio χ² value.ResultsIn predicting both Overall Survival (OS) and Disease free Survival (DFS) the new N stage and the new TNM staging system had the highest C-index and likelihood ratio χ2 value and the lowest Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), showing a better accuracy and displaying a better prognostic performance.ConclusionsOur study is the first from the Western world to compare the new hybrid classification, based on the anatomical location of metastatic nodes, to the 8th of American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system. Our findings on a small, monocentric sample suggest that hybrid topographic lymph node staging system is more accurate than TNM.