[The TNM classification adapted to palliative care]

The staging of tumors according to the "TNM" system was developed by P Denoix between 1943 and 1952. The "TNM" system is based on 3 items of data: the clinical aspect of the tumor "T", the regional lymph nodes "N", and the presence or absence of distant metastases. According to the extent of the local, regional and distant sites the TNM system permits definition of tumor stage. These stages allow comparison of the results from different centers to be made and the establishment of treatment protocols. We have taken the principles of the TNM staging of the UICC and the AJCC staging and applied them to "palliative stages" of cancer patients in an attempt to define the profile of the "palliative care patient", and to exchange the results of treatment between cancer centers.