L.H. Sobin – författare

The History of the TNM System The TNM System for the c1assification of malignant tumours was developed by Pierre Denoix (France) between the years 1943 1 and 1952. In 1950 the UICC appointed a Committee on Thmour Nomen- clature and Statistics and adopted, as a basis for its work on clini- cal stage c1assification, the general definitions of local extension of malignant tumours suggested by the World Health Organiza- tion (WHO) Sub-Committee on The Registration of Cases of 2 Cancer as weIl as their Statistical Presentation. In 1953 the Committee held a joint meeting with the Interna- tional Commission on Stage-Grouping in Cancer and Presenta- tion of the Results of Treatment of Cancer appointed by the International Congress of Radiology. Agreement was reached on a general technique for c1assification by anatomical extent of dis- ease, using the TNM system. In 1954 the Research Comrnission of the UICC set up a spe- cial Committee on Clinical Stage Classification and Applied Statis- ticsto "pursue studies in this field and to extend the general tech- nique of c1assification to cancer at aIl sites".In 1958 the Committee published its first recommendations for the clinical stage classification of cancers of the breast and 1 Denoix, P.F.: BuH. Inst. Nat. Hyg. (Paris) 1: 1-69 (1944) and 5: 52-82 (1944).

Although this second edition retains the concise format of the first edition, the number of tumours described has increased considerably, especially in the melanocytic, adnexal, fibrous tissue and lymphoid neoplasms. Care has been taken to avoid needless subclassification, so as to limit the expansion of categories to those fulfilling demonstrable histological criteria. The commentaries remain succint whilst including the major diagnostic points, with reference to relevant immunohistochemical features. All the illustrations have been changed since the first edition. Of particular importance is the fact that close collaboration with the authors of the AFIP Atlas of Tumor Pathology on Melanocytic and Non-melanocytic Tumors of the Skin ensures a consistent approach to the classification.

This second edition updates the "WHO Classification of Endocrine Tumours" proposed in 1980 and incorporates many new tumour entities and pertinent concepts that have developed since that time. It is the result of a collaborative effort between 9 pathologists from different countries, in addition to informal contributions and discussions by many other colleagues. In particular, efforts have been made to integrate into the fundamental backbone of the histologic classification a number of prognostic and functional parameters now essential for appropriate diagnosis and clinicopathologic evaluation of endocrine tumours.

In 1938 the League of Nations Health Organization published an Atlas Illustrating the Division of Cancer of the Uterine Cervix into Four Stages (edited by J. Heymann, Stockholm). Since this work appeared, the idea of visual representation of the anatom­ ical extent of malignant tumours at the different stages of their development has been repeatedly discussed. At its meeting in Copenhagen in July 1954, the UICC adopted as part of its programme "the realization of a clinical atlas". However, the time to publish the planned book of illustrations was not ripe until the national committees and international or­ ganizations had officially recognized the 28 classifications of malignant tumours at various sites as presented in the third edi­ tion of the TN M Booklet edited by M. Harmer (TNM Classifica­ tion of Malignant Tumours, 1978). This was all the more impor­ tant since publication of the Booklet was followed in 1980 by publication of A Brochure of Checklists, edited by A. H. Sellers, a further aid in the practical application of the TNM system. The TNM Atlas (first edition 1982, second edition 1985) was the third of the aids intended to fulfil the one ultimate purpose of making the classification of the anatomical extent of malignant tumours as much a routine procedure as histological typing and grading.

Die vorliegende 4. Auflage des TNM-Atlas beinhaltet alle Ergänzungen und Veränderungen der fünften Auflage der TNM-Klassifikation Maligner Tumore und stellt den derzeitigen Standard der TNM-KLassifikation dar, der von allen nationalen TNM-Kommittees akzeptiert und angewandt wird. Zahlreiche Abbildungen erleichtern die praktische Anwendung des TNM - Systems für alle onkologisch tätigen Ärzte.