title: N staging system: tumor-node-metastasis and future perspectives.
abstract: The correct staging of disease, with an exact definition of the extent of cancer at the diagnosis, is crucial in the planning of a specific treatment and in the assessment of real chances of cure. Cancer staging systems are expected to be accurate in the description of the severity of a patient's tumor on the basis of the extent of the primary neoplasm and of its spread, thus giving clinician tools to estimate prognosis and providing objective parameters to compare groups of patients in clinical studies. This last point is of wide importance in evaluating successful treatment strategies in oncology, and this is one of the issues that contributed to the development of stage-adapted therapies.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ruspi
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marzorati
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lavazza
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Rocco
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boni
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianlorenzo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dionigi
authors.affiliation: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rausei
keywords: Tumor-node-metastasis staging system (TNM staging system); gastric cancer staging; lymph node in gastric cancer