Table 3.
Description of the TGNM system of the American Joint Committee for Cancer for staging of soft tissue sarcomas
| TGNM component | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary tumor (T) | ||
| TX | Primary tumor cannot be assessed | |
| T0 | No evidence of primary tumor | |
| T1 | Tumor ≤ 5 cm | |
| T1a | Superficial tumor | |
| T1b | Deep tumor | |
| T2 | Tumor ≥ 5 cm | |
| T1a | Superficial tumor | |
| T1b | Deep tumor | |
| Regional lymph nodes (N) | ||
| NX | Regional lymph nodes cannot be assessed | |
| N0 | No regional node metastasis | |
| N1 | Regional lymph node metastasis | |
| Distant metastasis (M) | ||
| MX | Distant metastasis cannot be assessed | |
| M0 | No distant metastasis | |
| M1 | Distant metastasis | |
| Histologic grade (G) | ||
| GX | Grade cannot be assessed | |
| G1 | Well differentiated | |
| G2 | Moderately differentiated | |
| G3 | Poorly differentiated | |
| G4 | Dedifferentiated or anaplastic | |
(Adapted and published with permission of Wolters Kluwer Health from Mendenhall WM, Indelicato DJ, Scarborough MT, Zlotecki RA, Gibbs CP, Mendenhall NP, Mendenhall CM, Enneking WF. The management of adult soft tissue sarcomas. Am J Clin Oncol. 2009;32:436–442.)