Physician Education

The AJCC provides resources beneficial to physicians in their use and understanding of the AJCC TNM staging system.

Developed through generous support from the American Cancer Society.

The AJCC developed a presentation titled Stage: The Language of Cancer as a high-level overview of the history and the guiding principles behind the AJCC Cancer Staging System. The presentation is intended to be used as both an introduction to T, N, M Staging and an update on some of the new changes in the rules for those who have previously used the AJCC Staging Manuals. We encourage both learners and instructors to use this officially developed presentation as a resource for training and educational needs.

Version 9

The Staging Update Process and New Content Format

Presenter: Thomas P. Baker, MD FCAP
Length: 16 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Anus

Presenter: Karyn A. Goodman, MD, MS
Length: 15 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Appendix

Presenter: Michael Overman, MD
Length: 16 minutes
Recording | Presentation 

Brain & Spinal Cord

Presenter: Daniel J. Brat, MD, PhD
Length: 15 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Cervix Uteri

Presenter: Alexander B Olawaiye, MD, FACS, FACOG
Length: 14 minutes
Recording | Presentation

8th Edition

Impact of AJCC Staging on Ophthalmic Oncology

Presenter: Paul T Finger, MD, FACS
Length: 21 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Staging of Testicular Cancer

Presenter: Jodi K. Maranchie, MD, FACS
Length: 15 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Breast Staging

Presenter: David J. Winchester, MD, FACS
Length: 15 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Prostate Staging

Presenter: Judd W. Moul, MD, FACS
Length: 15 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Post Neoadjuvant Staging

Presenter: David R. Byrd, MD
Length: 15 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Pancreatic Staging

Presenter: Mary Kay Washington, MD, PhD
Length: 15 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Colorectal

Presenter: George J. Chang, MD, MS
Length: 60 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Melanoma

Presenter: Jeffrey Gershenwald, MD, FACS
Length: 60 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Prostate

Presenter: Judd W. Moul, MD, FACS
Length: 60 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Gynecologic

Presenter: Alexander B. Olawaiye, MD
Length: 60 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Breast

Presenter: Gabriel Hortobagyi, MD, MACP, FASCO
Length: 60 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Lung

Presenter: Ramon Rami-Porta, MD
Length: 60 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Esophagus

Presenter: Thomas Rice, MD
Length: 60 minutes
Recording| Presentation

Head and Neck

Presenter: William M. Lydiatt, MD
Length: 60 minutes
Recording | Presentation

Articles on the AJCC staging system from various medical journals are available for physicians to better understand the issues. Please contact ajcc@facs.org if you would like to add more articles to this list.

General Information

The Eighth Edition AJCC Cancer Staging Manual: Continuing to build a bridge from a population-based to a more "personalized" approach to cancer staging. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians
The Eighth Edition of TNM: Implications for the Surgical Oncologist. Annals of Surgical Oncology.
Cancer Staging: Important Work of the AJCC. Collarbrx
Sixty years of change at the AJCC keep its 'language of cancer' relevant. HemOnc Today
The AJCC: 60 Years of Cancer Staging Leadership. ACS Bulletin

Precision Medicine

American Joint Committee on Cancer acceptance criteria for inclusion of risk models for individualized prognosis in the practice of precision medicine. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians
Precision Medicine Core: Progress in Prognostication - Populations to Patients. Annuals of Surgical Oncology

Imaging

Do Radiologists Have Stage Fright? Tumor Staging and How We Can Add Value to the Care of Patients with Cancer. Radiology

Breast

Breast Cancer—Major changes in the American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition cancer staging manual. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians
Multigene assays: Implications for breast cancer staging. Journal of Surgical Oncology
Validation Study of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Eighth Edition Prognostic Stage Compared With the Anatomic Stage in Breast Cancer. JAMA Oncology
Changes and Clarifications in the Eighth Edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging System for Breast Cancer. AJSP: Reviews & Reports

Colorectal Cancers

AJCC 8th Edition: Colorectal Cancer. Annals of Surgical Oncology

Endocrine System

American Joint Committee on Cancer: Endocrine Surgery. Annals of Surgical Oncology
Updated American Joint Committee on Cancer/Tumor-Node-Metastasis Staging System for Differentiated and Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer (Eighth Edition): What Changed and Why?. Thyroid

Gynecologic

Lymphnode staging update in the American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th Edition cancer staging manual. Gynecologic Oncology
Controversies in Gynecologic Cancer Staging: An AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, Eighth Edition Perspective. AJSP: Reviews & Reports

Head and Neck

Head and Neck cancers—major changes in the American Joint Committee on cancer eighth edition cancer staging manual. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians
New system helps doctors differentiate between HPV-related and smoking-related throat cancers. Omaha World-Herald
Predictive value of the 8th edition American Joint Commission Cancer (AJCC) nodal staging system for patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Journal of Surgical Oncology
Validation of the eighth edition AJCC staging system in early T1 to T2 oral squamous cell carcinoma. Journal of Surgical Oncology

Hepatobiliary System

Critical evaluation of the American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) 8th edition staging system for patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC): A Surveillance, Epidemiology, End Results (SEER) analysis. Journal of Surgical Oncology
Evaluation of the 8th edition American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) analysis. Journal of Surgical Oncology
8th Edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual: Pancreas and Hepatobiliary Cancers. Annals of Surgical Oncology

Male Genital Organs

Prostate cancer – major changes in the American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition cancer staging manual. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians

Melanoma

Melanoma staging: Evidence-based changes in the American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition cancer staging manual. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians
Melanoma Staging: American Joint Committee on Cancer(AJCC) 8th Edition and Beyond. Annals of Surgical Oncology
Clinical implications of the eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer melanoma staging. Journal of Surgical Oncology

Neuroendocrine Tumors

Modified Staging Classification for Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors on the Basis of the American Joint Committee on Cancer and European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society Systems. Journal of Clinical Oncology
Elevated Plasma Pancreastatin, but Not Chromogranin A, Predicts Survival in Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Duodenum. Journal of the American College of Surgeons

Thorax

Lung cancer — major changes in the American Joint Committee on cancer eighth edition cancer staging manual . CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians

Upper Gastrointestinal Tract

Cancer of the esophagus and esophagogastric junction: Major changes in the American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition cancer staging manual. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians