Stomach
General
Staging-carcinoma
Editor-in-Chief: Debra L. Zynger, M.D.
Last author update: 10 December 2020
Last staff update: 25 May 2021
Copyright: 2003-2023, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Gastric carcinoma[title] staging [title]
Page views in 2022: 8,037
Page views in 2023 to date: 3,386
Cite this page: Gonzalez RS. Staging-carcinoma. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/stomachstagingcarcinomas.html. Accessed June 1st, 2023.
Pathologic TNM staging of carcinomas of the stomach, AJCC 8th edition
Definition / general
- Includes gastric carcinoma, gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma, gastroesophageal junction carcinoma with an epicenter more than 2 cm into the stomach, cardia carcinoma
ICD coding
- C16.9: Malignant neoplasm of stomach, unspecified
Primary tumor (pT)
- TX: Primary tumor cannot be assessed
- T0: No evidence of primary tumor
- Tis: Carcinoma in situ: intraepithelial tumor without invasion of the lamina propria; high grade dysplasia
- T1: Tumor invades the lamina propria, muscularis mucosae or submucosa
- T1a: Tumor invades the lamina propria or muscularis mucosae
- T1b: Tumor invades the submucosa
- T2: Tumor invades the muscularis propria
- T3: Tumor penetrates the subserosal connective tissue without invasion of the visceral peritoneum or adjacent structures
- T4: Tumor invades the serosa (visceral peritoneum) or adjacent structures
- T4a: Tumor invades the serosa (visceral peritoneum)
- T4b: Tumor invades adjacent structures/organs
Regional lymph nodes (pN)
- NX: Regional lymph nodes cannot be assessed
- N0: No regional lymph node metastasis
- N1: Metastasis in one or two regional lymph nodes
- N2: Metastasis in three to six regional lymph nodes
- N3: Metastasis in seven or more regional lymph nodes
- N3a: Metastasis in seven to 15 regional lymph nodes
- N3b: Metastasis in 16 or more regional lymph nodes
Note:
- Regional lymph nodes include the greater curvature, greater omental, lesser curvature, lesser omental, right and left peracardial (cardioesophageal), suprapyloric, gastroduodenal, infrapyloric, gastroepiploic, left gastric artery, celiac artery, common hepatic artery, hepatoduodenal, portal, splenic artery, and splenic hilum nodes
Prefixes
- y: preoperative radiotherapy or chemotherapy
Stage grouping
Clinical staging
Stage 0: |
Tis |
N0 |
M0 |
|
Stage I: |
T1-2 |
N0 |
M0 |
|
Stage IIA: |
T1-2 |
N1-3 |
M0 |
|
Stage IIB: |
T3-4a |
N0 |
M0 |
|
Stage III: |
T3-4a |
N1-3 |
M0 |
|
Stage IVA: |
T4b |
N1-3 |
M0 |
|
Stage IVB: |
any T |
any N |
M1 |
|
Pathologic staging
Stage 0: |
Tis |
N0 |
M0 |
|
Stage IA: |
T1 |
N0 |
M0 |
|
Stage IB: |
T1 |
N1 |
M0 |
|
|
T2 |
N0 |
M0 |
|
Stage IIA: |
T1 |
N2 |
M0 |
|
|
T2 |
N1 |
M0 |
|
|
T3 |
N0 |
M0 |
|
Stage IIB: |
T1 |
N3a |
M0 |
|
|
T2 |
N2 |
M0 |
|
|
T3 |
N1 |
M0 |
|
|
T4a |
N0 |
M0 |
|
Stage IIIA: |
T2 |
N3a |
M0 |
|
|
T3 |
N2 |
M0 |
|
|
T4a |
N1-2 |
M0 |
|
|
T4b |
N0 |
M0 |
|
Stage IIIB: |
T1-2 |
N3b |
M0 |
|
|
T3-4a |
N3a |
M0 |
|
|
T4b |
N1-2 |
M0 |
|
Stage IIIC: |
T3-4a |
N3b |
M0 |
|
|
T4b |
N3a-3b |
M0 |
|
Stage IV: |
any T |
any N |
M1 |
|
Pathologic staging following neoadjuvant therapy
Stage I: |
T1-2 |
N0 |
M0 |
|
|
T1 |
N1 |
M0 |
|
Stage II: |
T3-4a |
N0 |
M0 |
|
|
T2-3 |
N1 |
M0 |
|
|
T1-2 |
N2 |
M0 |
|
|
T1 |
N3 |
M0 |
|
Stage III: |
T4b |
N0 |
M0 |
|
|
T4a-4b |
N1 |
M0 |
|
|
T3, 4a, 4b |
N2 |
M0 |
|
|
T2, 3, 4a, 4b |
N3 |
M0 |
|
Stage IV: |
any T |
any N |
M1 |
|
Registry data collection variables
- Tumor location
- Serum CEA
- Serum CA 19-9
- Clinical staging modalities (endoscopy and biopsy, EUS, EUS-FNA, CT, PET/CT)
- Tumor length
- Depth of invasion
- Number of suspicious malignant lymph nodes on baseline radiologic images
- Number of suspicious malignant lymph nodes by EUS assessment
- Location of suspicious nodes (clinical)
- Location of suspicious nodes (pathological)
- Number of tumor deposits
- Lymphovascular invasion
- Neural invasion
- Extranodal extension
- HER2 status (positive or negative)
- Microsatellite instability (MSI) status
- Surgical margin (negative, microscopic, macroscopic)
- Sites of metastasis, if applicable
- Type of surgery
Histologic grade
- GX: Grade cannot be assessed
- G1: Well differentiated
- G2: Moderately differentiated
- G3: Poorly differentiated
Histopathologic type
- Intraepithelial neoplasia (dysplasia), high grade
- Adenocarcinoma, NOS
- Adenocarcinoma, intestinal type
- Carcinoma, diffuse type
- Papillary adenocarcinoma
- Tubular adenocarcinoma
- Mucinous adenocarcinoma
- Parietal cell carcinoma
- Signet ring cell carcinoma
- Mixed adenocarcinoma
- Adenosquamous carcinoma
- Carcinoma with lymphoid stroma (medullary carcinoma)
- Hepatoid adenocarcinoma
- Squamous cell carcinoma, NOS
- Lymphoepithelial carcinoma
- Medullary carcinoma, NOS
- Undifferentiated carcinoma
- Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC)
- Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC)
- Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC)
- Mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma
Board review style question #1
Based on AJCC 8th edition criteria, a tumor located within the gastric cardia but involving the gastroesophageal junction would be staged as an esophageal carcinoma if its epicenter is no more than what distance from the gastroesophageal junction?
- 2 cm
- 3 cm
- 4 cm
- 5 cm
Board review style answer #1
Back to top