Staging of Gastric Cancer

The TNM system for classification of tumors has become the principal method for determining prognosis for cancer patients and providing a reliable means for reporting results of treatments. Progress in the treatment of stomach cancer required the development and unification of the TNM system for tumor classification. Although a system had already been developed more than 40 years ago, attempts were made to unify and improve the various later emerging ones through a series of international meetings. Through this process of evolution, a unified international system for classification of stomach cancer was developed. It is to be expected that small variations in the classification system may occur that will result from additional data and improvements in technology in the future.