New lung cancer staging system revealed(system relied heavily on intuition makin...),Health
system relied heavily on intuition, making recommendations based on a limited database of 2,155 patients from one US medical institution. The last revision to the system in 1997 used an expanded database, but with only 5,319 patients, it still remained fairly limited.
In 1999, the IASLC International Staging Committee took the initiative to develop a scientifically robust classification system for lung cancer. Ten years later, the new IASLC staging system includes a database of more than 100,000 patients from 45 sources and 20 countries and allows researchers to discern an increasing number of details and differences in patients' conditions. The increased level of detail combined with extensive analysis and internal and external validation have led to a more complex system, but one that more accurately describes the extent of the cancer, the location and spread of the tumor, and the prognosis for patient subgroups.
"The original system and database laid the strong foundation for lung cancer staging as we know it today; however, the staging system had limitations. Due to the small and very narrow database, the staging system was guided by intuition rather than evidence," said Dr. Detterbeck. "The revised IASLC staging system marks a shift to a more scientifically based, data-driven approach to lung cancer staging."
The extensive data resulted in the addition of subgroups and the reclassification of select patient subgroups based on patient prognosis or overall survival rate. The staging committee required a high degree of consistency and robustness to underlay all staging definitions, only adopting those shown to be statistically distinct. Furthermore, each analysis within the TNM staging descriptors underwent an extensive internal and external validation process.
Although the staging classification system provides a common language to define the extent of cancer within a subgroup and the corresponding prognosis, the system doe
'/>"/>
| Contact: Jennifer Stawarz 847-498-8306 American College of Chest Physicians Source:Eurekalert |
Related medicine news :
1. Asian spice could reduce breast cancer risk in women exposed to hormone replacement therapy
2. Varian Medical Systems Management to Present at the Piper Jaffray Cancer Summit
3. Look Good...Feel Better and OPI Celebrate 20 Years of Helping Women Cope With Cancer
4. News from Cancer
5. Environmental manganese good in trace amounts but can correlate to cancer rates
6. Two Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Scientists Receive Presidential Early Career Award
7. Moores UCSD Cancer Center Luau and Longboard Invitational Hosts Survivor Beach Aug. 9
8. ECCO 15 -- ESMO 34 multidisciplinary cancer congress
9. More Mammograms May Mean More Harmless Cancers
10. JNCI news brief: Breast cancer hormone receptor status and risk of a second primary tumor
11. Einstein scientists link elevated insulin to increased breast cancer risk
| Copyright © 2003-2009 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |