Clinical nodal staging for NPCa
| N Category | N Criteria |
|---|---|
| Nx | Regional lymph nodes cannot be assessed |
| N0 | No regional lymph node metastasis |
| N1 | Unilateral metastasis in cervical lymph node(s) and/or unilateral or bilateral metastasis in retropharyngeal lymph node(s) ≤6 cm in greatest dimension, above the caudal border of cricoid cartilage |
| N2 | Bilateral metastasis in cervical lymph nodes ≤6 cm in greatest dimension, above the caudal border of cricoid cartilage |
| N3 | Unilateral or bilateral metastasis in cervical lymph node(s) >6 cm in greatest dimension, and/or extension below the caudal border of cricoid cartilage |
↵a Changes in the eighth edition reflect the designation of level IV or VB nodes as N3 disease with no distinct a or b status. Table adapted with permission of the American Joint Committee on Cancer, Chicago, Illinois. The original source for this material is the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual.1