Objective:

To evaluate stage changes when applying the 9th edition of the TNM classification instead of the 8th edition in Vietnamese patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Approach:

• Method: A
• Method: c
• Method: r
• Method: o
• Method: s
• Method: e
• Method: t
• Method: i
• Method: n
• Method: l
• Method: d
• Method: p
• Method: v
• Method: u
• Method: y
• Method: w
• Method: g
• Method: 5
• Method: h
• Method: m
• Method: f
• Method: k
• Method: J
• Method: 2
• Method: 0
• Method: b
• Method: .

Key Findings:

• According to the 8th edition TNM classification, 64.1% of patients were classified as Stage III-IVA, with T stage distributions of 25.4% T1, 25.9% T2, 23.4% T3, and 24.3% T4; and N stage distributions of 13.3% N0, 37.8% N1, 33.0% N2, and 15.9% N3.
• When reassessed using the 9th edition, 88.3% of patients experienced changes in overall stage.
• The 9th edition resulted in 6 patients experiencing changes in N stage, affecting treatment decisions for 1 patient.

Interpretation:

Limitations:

• The study is limited to a single center in Vietnam.
• Data collection was based on convenience sampling.

Conclusion: