Head and neck cancer. Reliability of American Joint Committee's staging system as prognostic indicator.

The present American Joint Committee (AJC) staging system for the head and neck cancer does not satisfy the criteria as a prognostic or therapeutic indicator when patients are treated initially with radiation therapy. There are certain groups of patients allocated to advanced AJC stages where the prognosis is more favorable and, thus, should not be grouped with the poor prognosis stages. Recognition of these groups is important for any treatment planning or reporting of the end results.