Stage
The stage of a cancer is determined by the TNM staging system:
- The ‘T’ stands for tumor size.
- The ‘N’ stands for lymph node involvement.
- The ‘M’ stands for distant metastases, or cancer spread to other areas of the body.
Staging helps doctors determine how serious the cancer is and how best to treat it. Staging systems often reference very specific anatomical structures. Please see the anatomy page to learn about these terms.
Staging is generally based on the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th edition guidelines. To learn more, see the AJCC TNM Staging Table and the TNM Staging Tool below.
TNM Staging Table, from the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)
| T | N | M | Stage |
| Tis | N0 | M0 | 0 |
| T1 | N0 | M0 | I |
| T2 | N0 | M0 | II |
| T3 | N0 | M0 | III |
| T0,1,2,3 | N1 | M0 | III |
| T4a | N0,1 | M0 | IVA |
| T0,1,2,3,4a | N2 | M0 | IVA |
| Any T | N3 | M0 | IVB |
| T4b | Any N | M0 | IVB |
| Any T | Any N | M1 | IVC |
Additional Information
There are two different staging systems used for salivary gland cancers, clinical and pathologic staging, which are both outlined below.
A patient’s clinical staging will be determined based on their physical exam and imaging studies, whereas their pathologic staging is based on the pathologic evaluation of the tumor and lymph nodes following surgery. While these two staging tables may look similar, there are significant differences related to the presence of extranodal extension (ENE), or tumor spread outside of the lymph node, identified by the pathologist under the microscope. Please see the anatomy page to become familiar with any of the terms mentioned in these tables.
