Clinical classification and staging in oral cancer.

The literature regarding TNM-classification and staging as applied to oral cancer is reviewed and the shortcomings of the various systems are discussed. A new system for the classification and staging of carcinomata of the oral cavity is described. This system includes recording the site of the lesion (S) and the pathology (P) in addition to the conventional TNM criteria. The new system for staging involves the summation of arithmetic discriminants attached to each of the variables S, T, N, M and P. This system is more simple to use and is able to predict a more accurate prognosis for the patient.