Proposal for the 8th edition of the <scp>AJCC</scp>/<scp>UICC</scp> staging system for nasopharyngeal cancer in the era of intensity‐modulated radiotherapy

Abstract

After a review by AJCC/UICC preparatory committees, the changes recommended for the 8th edition include changing MP/LP involvement from T4 to T2, adding prevertebral muscle involvement as T2, replacing SCF with the lower neck and merging this with a maximum nodal diameter > 6 cm as N3, and merging T4 and N3 as stage IVA criteria. These changes will lead not only to a better distinction of hazards between adjacent stages/categories but also to optimal balance in clinical practicability and global applicability.