Clinical N staging for all non-HPV, non-EBV SCCsa
| N Category | N Criteria |
|---|---|
| Nx | Regional lymph nodes cannot be assessed |
| N0 | No regional lymph node metastasis |
| N1 | Metastasis in a single ipsilateral lymph node ≤3 cm in greatest dimension and ENE− |
| N2a | Metastasis in a single ipsilateral lymph node >3 cm but ≤6 cm in greatest dimension and ENE− |
| N2b | Metastasis in multiple ipsilateral nodes, none >6 cm in greatest dimension and ENE− |
| N2c | Metastasis in bilateral or contralateral lymph node(s), none >6 cm in greatest dimension and ENE− |
| N3a | Metastasis in a lymph node >6 cm in greatest dimension and ENE− |
| N3b | Metastasis in any node(s) with clinically overt ENE+ (ENEc) |
Note:—ENEc indicates invasion of skin, infiltration of musculature, dense tethering or fixation to adjacent structures, or cranial nerve, brachial plexus, sympathetic trunk, or phrenic nerve invasion with dysfunction.
↵a Note the addition of ENE to the staging system, creating a new N3b designation in the eighth edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual. Table used with the permission of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), Chicago, Illinois. The original source for this material is the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual.1