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Ann Surg Oncol (2010) 17:19791980 DOI 10.1245/s10434-010-1009-0
EDITORIAL
Improvements in the Staging of Cutaneous Squamous-Cell Carcinoma in the 7th Edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual
Thomas Lardaro, BSc1, Soa M. Shea, MD1,2, William Sharfman, MD1,2,3, Nanette Ligeois, MD, PhD1,3,4,6, and Arthur J. Sober, MD5
1Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD; 2Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; 3Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; 4Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; 5Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; 6Department of Otolaryngology, Johns Hopkins Hospital Outpatient Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
The 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Cancer Staging Manual includes important improvements to the staging of cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma (cSCC). In all previous AJCC manuals, cSCC has been staged along with approximately 80 other nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC). As a result of the diversity in biology and prognosis within the group of NMSC, the previous staging system was irrelevant in staging any particular cutaneous carcinoma with regard to prognosis. The 7th edition features a marked improvement: the NMSC was divided into two chapters. Merkel-cell carcinoma is staged separately in its own chapter, and a new chapter, entitled Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Other Cutaneous Carcinomas, was based on evidence-based medicine for cSCC. Other NMSC, excluding Merkel-cell carcinoma, will be staged according to the cSCC guidelines. The development of the cSCC chapter was led by Dr. Nanette Ligeois under the auspice of Dr. Arthur Sober, chair of the NMSC committee. cSCC poses an important risk to society. In the United States, NMSC is the most frequent cancer. Additionally, the incidence of NMSC has greatly increased since 1960, with some estimates indicating an increased incidence of 3%...