7th Edition of AJCC Melanoma Staging System

Monday December 6, 2010

A one-page poster of the recently revised Melanoma of the Skin Staging System issued by American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) is now available electronically at no charge. Also available is an electronic staging tool, described as “an easy-to-use staging calculator and electronic staging form for inclusion in patient clinical records and for retrospective staging of patients for public health reporting purposes”. The e-Staging Tool is available for purchase as an annual subscription product, for both individual and institutional users.

The resources are based upon the recently published Seventh Edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, described as the “gold standard” for the cancer management team. According to the AJCC, this edition "brings together all the currently available information on staging of cancer at various anatomic sites and incorporates newly acquired knowledge on the aetiology 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 the TNM (tumour, lymph node, metastasis) classification system supplemented by selected molecular markers.”

The cancer staging posters, including one on melanoma, are available at no charge as downloadable PDF files at http://www.cancerstaging.org/staging/index.html.

The seventh edition publication and electronic products can be ordered from: http://www.cancerstaging.org/products/ajccproducts.html.