title: TNM-based stage groupings in head and neck cancer: application in cancer of the hypopharynx.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to test the Union Internationale Contre le Cancer (UICC)/TNM category-based head and neck cancer stage grouping systems proposed in the literature for their ability to create clinically relevant prognostic groups of like-patients with cancer of the hypopharynx.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based retrospective survival study of 595 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx across Ontario, Canada, from January 1990 to January 2000. The grouping systems of UICC/TNM, T and N Integer Score (TANIS), Hart, Berg, Snyderman, Kiricuta, and Hall were tested and compared for prognostic ability using hazard consistency, hazard discrimination, percent variance explained, outcome prediction, and balance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 8 systems predicted disease-specific survival. The system proposed by Snyderman performed the best, and UICC/TNM sixth edition did not perform as well as most.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The UICC/TNM stage group classification, although successful in creating statistically distinct groups, did not perform as well as other stage grouping systems, continuing a theme that has been reported previously.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. sfh@queensu.ca
authors.forename: Stephen F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Patti A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Groome
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Irish
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000145:classification* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007012:Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000145:classification* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000145:classification; D011379:Prognosis