Changes/Updates that Change the Stage
There are some changes and updates to the new SEER Summary
Staging Manual - 2000 that will change the stage from what
it would have been using the old Summary Staging Guide - 1977
(SSG77).
For example: In the bronchus and lung scheme, a cancer case
that has a separate tumor nodule in a different lobe (of the
same lung), was staged as localized using SSG77. However,
more accurately, this disease description should be staged
as distant. Therefore, in the SEER Summary Staging Manual
- 2000, there is an asterick (*) notation on the term "Separate
tumor nodule(s) in different lobe". That asterick notation
signifies a stage change from what was considered localized
using SSG77. The magnitude of the stage change in this example
is that cases with that disease extension were staged as localized
using the SSG77, but they would now more accurately be staged
as distant using the new SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000.
See http://seer.cancer.gov/Publications/SummaryStage/respir.pdf
for details.
Notations
As mentioned above, there are notations used in the new SEER
Summary Staging Manual - 2000 to denote any changes. Both asterisks
(*) and number signs (#) are used. Users are encouraged to pay
attention to the notations when comparing data across time, especially
when comparing stage data prior to 2001 diagnoses with stage
data on or after 2001 diagnoses.
Stage Shifting
It is understood that stage shifting due to updating the
SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000 may be frustrating when
comparing data across time, especially when comparing stage
data prior to 2001 diagnoses with stage data on or after 2001
diagnoses. The changes that were made and included in SEER
Summary Staging Manual - 2000 were NOT arbitrary. Rather,
the changes that were made were due to current medical practice
and current medical understanding of disease spread and the
corresponding impact on stage. In plain English, the world
has learned a lot about cancer and cancer staging since the
SSG77 and the changes in the SEER Summary Staging Manual -
2000 may therefore seem quite overwhelming. Many cancer experts
were consulted in the process, as were many editions of both
the AJCC TNM staging
manuals and the SEER
Extent of Disease manuals were consulted. The result is
that the SEER Summary Staging Manual - 2000 really is the
"latest and greatest."
Errata
Click here
for the known errata to the Summary Staging Manual 2000.
|
