title: Comparison the sixth and seventh editions of the AJCC staging system for T1 gastric cancer: a long-term follow-up study of 2124 patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to establish an appropriate TNM staging system for early gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 2124 patients who had undergone gastrectomy for early gastric cancer between 1989 and 2001.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using the seventh edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system, we found no significant differences in tumor recurrence and survival between N1 and N2 cancers or between N3a and N3b cancers, whereas the survival curves for N2 and N3 cancers were quite different. Similarly, using the classification in the sixth edition of the AJCC staging system, we found no significant difference in survival between the N2 and N3 cancer groups, whereas the survival curves for N1 versus N2 or N3 cancers were quite different.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The classifications in the sixth and seventh editions of the AJCC staging system have a limitation for T1 gastric cancer (early gastric cancer).
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 05505, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Hak
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 05505, Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Sik
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 05505, Korea.
authors.forename: Seong Tae
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 05505, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yook
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88, Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-Gu, Seoul, 05505, Korea. bskim0251@naver.com.
authors.forename: Beom Su
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000556:secondary*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000592:standards*; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000145:classification* / Q000473:pathology*; D015996:Survival Rate
keywords: Early gastric cancer; Nodal stage; TNM