Pharyngeal Cancer Stages / Staging

Staging is a system that describes the extent of cancer in the body. This process also reveals the type of pharyngeal cancer, which is a key part of developing a personalized treatment plan.

Pharyngeal cancer staging begins by evaluating three key components of cancer: size, location and spread. In the earliest stage of pharyngeal cancer (stage I), the cancer is localized to the pharynx. Later stages are characterized by the growth and spread of cancerous tissues throughout the body (stage IV).

The TNM System of Pharyngeal Cancer Staging

We stage pharyngeal cancer using The American Joint Committee on Cancer’s (AJCC) TNM system, a commonly accepted method based on three key components:

• Tumor (T) describes the size of the original tumor.
• Node (N) indicates whether the cancer is present in the lymph nodes.
• Metastasis (M) refers to whether cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

A number (0-4) or the letter X is assigned to each factor. A higher number indicates increasing severity. For instance, a T1 score indicates a smaller tumor than a T2 score. The letter X means the information could not be assessed.

Once the T, N and M scores have been assigned, an overall pharyngeal cancer stage is assigned.

Stages of pharyngeal cancer

• Stage I: The tumor is small (7 cm or less across) and limited to the pharynx (Example: T1, N0, M0).
• Stage II: The tumor has grown larger but still remains within the pharynx. In this stage of pharyngeal cancer, there is no evidence of spread to lymph nodes or distant sites (Example: T2, N0, M0).
• Stage III: The tumor has grown beyond the pharynx and may now extend into nearby tissues or organs. The cancer may or may not have spread to nearby lymph nodes (Example: T1, N1, M0).
• Stage IV: The tumor may be any size and has grown beyond the pharynx. The cancer may have spread to lymph nodes or other parts of throat (Example: Any T, Any N, M1).

Next Topic: Pharyngeal Cancer Treatment