[Role of R classification in the interdisciplinary oncology]

The R classification describes the tumor status after therapy. Many clinicians and pathologists use the definition in a misunderstood or wrong way, and sometimes, despite many recommendations this definition is not used in the daily routine, at all. The R status means not only the tumorous infiltration of the surgical margins but also includes the lymph node status and the metastases. It represents the whole tumorous process giving the most reliable prognostic marker. It is important for colleagues working in the same therapeutic group that the R status defined by pathologists has to mean the same consequences. This article shows how the R classification can be used in the daily routine and how someone can solve the misunderstandings in different R categories.