Comparing the eighth and the seventh editions of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system and the Brigham and Women's Hospital alternative staging system for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: Implications for clinical practice

Abstract

Background: The new eighth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system (AJCC-8) incorporates changes regarding cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC).

Objectives: We aimed to compare the AJCC-8 staging system with the previous seventh edition of the AJCC staging system (AJCC-7) and the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) alternative staging system to identify their usefulness and the utility of their risk factors in defining prognostic groups in CSCC.

Methods: A series of 186 CSCCs of the head and neck were retrospectively collected. All 3 staging systems were compared from the standpoint of their ability to predict poor prognosis. Binary logistic regression models were built to determine which risk factors were most relevant.

Results: Poor prognosis was mainly associated with stage T2 of the AJCC-7, with stages T2b/T3 of the BWH system, and with stage T3 of the AJCC-8. The AJCC-8 and the BWH staging systems displayed overlap with each another in predicting poor prognosis, and both were superior to the AJCC-7. The new risk factors incorporated into the AJCC-8 and the poor degree of differentiation were independently associated with poor outcome.

Limitations: Retrospective study and few cases with bone invasion.

Conclusions: The AJCC-8 is more distinctive, monotonous, and homogeneous than the AJCC-7 and shows some overlap with the BWH system in stratification of tumors.

Keywords: AJCC; American Joint Committee on Cancer; Brigham and Women's Hospital; cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma; poor degree of differentiation; prognosis; skin cancer staging.