Notes on the 7th Edition on Tnm Classification of Skin Tumors Comentarii Cu Privire La Cea De-a 7-a Ediție a Clasificãrii Tnm a Tumorilor Cutanate

In the 7th edition of the TNM classification of malignant tumours some alterations and innovations for skin tumours were introduced including an entirely new classification for Merkel Cell Carcinomas. The changes are shown along with notes on some critical issues. The chapter “cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and other cutaneous carcinomas” has been newly named and supplied with new definitions. The UICC definitions of the T categories in the 7th edition differ from those in the AJCC Cancer staging manual. The classification of carcinomas of the eyelid has been moved from the ophthalmic tumours chapter to the skin tumours chapter and has undergone some changes in the definition of categories T2 – T4 as compared to the 6th edition. In Malignant Melanoma of skin in addition to tumor ulceration, mitotic rate replaces level of invasion as a primary criterion for defining the subcategory of pT1b. The first staging proposal for Merkel Cell Carcinoma of the skin is based on the analysis of over 4,700 patients using the National Cancer Database as well as extensive review of the literature. Christian Wittekind Pathology Institute, Clinical University, Leipzig, Germany