The importance of consistency in the classification of malignant tumours, illustrated by oral cancer material.
To evaluate the best treatment for the cancer patient, comparisons are often made between groups who have received different therapy. Such studies may be carried out within one hospital, but results from several hospitals may also be compared. It is therefore of the utmost importance that the groups/materials are selected according to the same criteria and classified and analysed by the same system and methods respectively. To illustrate this point, 125 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma were classified according to two different systems, i.e. TNM 1973 and TNM 1978, but otherwise the material was similarly analyzed. The survival curves for stage I, II, III and IV78 were quite different from the corresponding curves of the 1973 system. The universal use of a simple, consistent classification system is recommended, and the effort to develop and improve the TNM system should continue.
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000145:classification* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000145:classification* / Q000401:mortality; D009664:Norway; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality