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. The tables below explain how each stage of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer is determined. Of note, all anaplastic thyroid cancers are considered to be an advanced stage (Stage IV). In addition, the presence and detection of the BRAF v600E mutation is extremely important in the assessment of ATC, and will help determine a plan of care, which may include targeted therapy against the BRAF mutation. Click here to learn more about Genetic and Molecular testing.
Staging systems often reference very specific anatomical structures. Please see the Anatomy page to learn about the terms mentioned.
The following represents the AJCC 8th edition, which states that when surgical resection is possible, primary tumors should be staged like other types of thyroid cancer. This represents a major change from previous editions of the AJCC classification system, where all anaplastic thyroid cancers were classified as T4 disease.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1-T3a | N0/Nx | M0 | IVA |
| T1-T3a | N1 | M0 | IVB |
| T3b | Any N | M0 | IVB |
| T4 | Any N | M0 | IVB |
| Any T | Any N | M1 | IVC |
