AJCC

The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) is a not-for-profit American professional organization that develops and maintains internationally used cancer staging systems. Its work focuses on the classification of cancer extent to support prognosis assessment, treatment planning, and research. The AJCC collaborates with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and with specialists around the world to produce standardized staging criteria for solid tumors.

The core framework is the TNM system, which describes three components: T for the size and extent of the primary tumor; N for regional lymph node involvement; and M for distant metastasis. AJCC site-specific editions adapt the TNM framework to many cancer types, incorporating histology, biomarkers, and imaging findings as appropriate.

The AJCC publishes the Cancer Staging Manual and related guidelines, which are widely used by clinicians, researchers, cancer registries, and trials to describe cancer stage uniformly.

The organization also provides education, develops and disseminates guidelines for staging application, and supports research into cancer prognosis and outcomes.

While the AJCC focuses on solid tumors, hematologic malignancies often rely on separate staging systems; the TNM-based approach remains a cornerstone for most non-hematologic cancers.

In addition to staging criteria, the AJCC engages in professional development, quality assurance, and international collaboration to promote consistent cancer care and to advance evidence-based practice globally.