From: Esophageal Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)
PDQ Cancer Information Summaries [Internet].
Bethesda (MD): National Cancer Institute (US); 2002-.
NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
Table 1. Definitions of Primary Tumor, Regional Lymph Node, Distant Metastasis, Histological Grade for Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Adenocarcinoma, and Location for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagusa
| T Category/Criteria | N Category/Criteria | M Category/Criteria | G Definition | L Category/Criteriab | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TX = Tumor cannot be assessed. | NX = Regional lymph nodes cannot be assessed. | M0 = No distant metastasis. | GX = Grade cannot be assessed. | X = Location unknown. | |
| T0 = No evidence of primary tumor. | N0 = No regional lymph node metastasis. | M1 = Distant metastasis. | G1 = Well differentiated. | Upper = Cervical esophagus to lower border of azygos vein. | |
| Tis = High-grade dysplasia, defined as malignant cells confined to the epithelium by the basement membrane. | N1 = Metastasis in one or two regional lymph nodes. | G2 = Moderately differentiated. | Middle = Lower border of azygos vein to lower border of inferior pulmonary vein. | ||
| G3 = Poorly differentiated, undifferentiated. | Lower = Lower border of inferior pulmonary vein to stomach, including gastroesophageal junction. | ||||
| T1 = Tumor invades the lamina propria, muscularis mucosae, or submucosa. | N2 = Metastasis in three to six regional lymph nodes. | ||||
| N3 = Metastasis in seven or more regional lymph nodes. | |||||
| T1a = Tumor invades the lamina propria or muscularis mucosae. | |||||
| T1b = Tumor invades the submucosa. | |||||
| T2 = Tumor invades the muscularis propria. | |||||
| T3 = Tumor invades adventitia. | |||||
| T4 = Tumor invades adjacent structures. | |||||
| T4a = Tumor invades the pleura, pericardium, azygos vein, diaphragm, or peritoneum. | |||||
| T4b = Tumor invades other adjacent structures, such as the aorta, vertebral body, or airway. | |||||
T = primary tumor; N = regional lymph nodes; M = distant metastasis; G = grade; L = location.
aReprinted with permission from AJCC: Esophageal and esophagogastric junction. In: Amin MB, Edge SB, Greene FL, et al., eds.: AJCC Cancer Staging Manual. 8th ed. New York, NY: Springer, 2017, pp. 185–202.
bLocation is defined by the position of the epicenter of the tumor in the esophagus.