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Staging of head and neck cancers: Is it time to change the balance between the ideal and the practical?
Author(s) -
Patel Snehal G.,
Lydiatt William M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.21021
Subject(s) - medicine , modular design , head and neck , ideal (ethics) , head and neck cancer , staging system , balance (ability) , cancer , intensive care medicine , surgery , computer science , physical medicine and rehabilitation , philosophy , epistemology , operating system
The TNM system is a widely accepted prognostic system worldwide. Limitations in prognostic accuracy are recognized but have remained for fear the remedy would unnecessarily complicate the system. Understanding of the genetic and molecular mechanisms of cancer will allow the gap between the ideal and the practical prognostic system to be closed and the staging system drastically revised to a modular structure. Novel computational technology, which is reliable and reproducible, is likely to provide the basis for such a modular prognostic system. J. Surg. Oncol. 2008;97:653–657. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.