Table 2.
TNM Staging of Renal Cell Carcinoma. Adapted from current version of American Joint Committee On Cancer (2002)
| Stage | Description |
|---|---|
| TX | Primary tumor cannot be assessed |
| T0 | No evidence of primary tumor |
| T1 | Tumor < 7 cm in greatest dimension, limited to kidney |
| T1a | Tumor < 4 cm in greatest dimension, limited to kidney |
| T1b | Tumor > 4 cm but < 7 cm in greatest dimension, limited to kidney |
| T2 | Tumor ≥7 cm in greatest dimension, limited to kidney |
| T3 | Tumor extends into major veins or invades adrenal gland or perinephric tissues, but not beyond Gerota's fascia |
| T3a | Tumor invades adrenal gland or perinephric tissues but not beyond Gerota's fascia |
| T3b | Tumor grossly extends into renal vein(s) or vena cava below diaphragm |
| T3c | Tumor grossly extends into vena cava above diaphragm |
| T4 | Tumor invades beyond Gerota's fascia |
| NX | Regional lymph nodes cannot be assessed |
| N0 | No regional lymph node metastasis |
| N1 | Metastasis in a single regional lymph node |
| N2 | Metastasis in more than one regional lymph node |
| MX | Distant metastasis cannot be assessed |
| M0 | No distant metastasis |
| M1 | Distant metastasis |