The AJCC Cancer Staging Manual and Handbook, prepared by the American Joint Committee on Cancer, are used by physicians and health care professionals throughout the world to facilitate the uniform description and reporting of neoplastic diseases. Proper classification and staging is essential for the physician to assign proper treatment, evaluate results of management and clinical trials, and to serve as the standard for local, regional and international reporting on cancer incidence and outcome.

The Seventh Edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual brings together all the currently available information on staging of cancer at various anatomic sites and incorporates newly acquired knowledge on the etiology and pathology of cancer. As knowledge of cancer biology expands, cancer staging must incorporate these advances. The current revision provides evidence-based staging based upon the established tenets of TNM classification supplemented by selected molecular markers. Relevant markers supported by evidence and of sufficient impact for treatment decisions have been included to define stage, for example Gleason’s Score and PSA in prostate cancer.

Organized by disease site into 57 comprehensive chapters, the Seventh Edition features much-anticipated, major revisions to many chapters including breast, colon, prostate, kidney, and others. There are new primary site chapters for extrahepatic bile ducts, distal bile duct, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, and the adrenal gland plus a vastly expanded section on ophthalmologic malignancies.

User-friendly enhancements include:

• a revised and expanded presentation of the principles and rules of TNM staging

• a concise summary of changes in the TNM classification and "Staging at a Glance" opening each chapter to provide a snapshot of staging and coding details

• numerous new line drawings illustrating key sites throughout the text

• full color text to highlight elements of TNM, stage groupings and prognostic factors

• a revised user friendly "Staging Form"

• a CD-ROM packaged with each Manual containing printable Staging Forms

The Seventh Editions of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual and Handbook remain the essential references for oncologists, pathologists, surgeons, cancer registrars and medical professionals worldwide to ensure that all those taking care of cancer patients are fully versed in the language of cancer staging.