{"entity":{"id":"anus-staging","kind":"term","name":"Anal cancer staging (AJCC chapter 21)","aka":["anal cancer staging","anal cancer stage"],"tldr":"Anal cancer is staged by tumour size (2 cm and 5 cm are the cut-offs), spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes in the pelvis and groin, and distant spread as stage IV.","summary":"AJCC chapter 21 covers the anus; the AJCC 2026 table lists a Version 9 protocol for 2023. In the NCI's summary, stage 0 is abnormal cells in the mucosa; stage I is a tumour of 2 cm or less; IIA is 2 to 5 cm and IIB larger than 5 cm; IIIA is 5 cm or less with spread to nodes near the anus or groin; IIIB is any size with spread to nearby organs such as the vagina, urethra or bladder; IIIC combines local spread and nodes; stage IV is distant spread.","asOf":"2026-11-04","links":[{"label":"National Cancer Institute, Anal cancer stages","url":"https://www.cancer.gov/types/anal/stages"},{"label":"American College of Surgeons, AJCC Current Staging System 2026 (which chapters are 8th edition and which Version 9)","url":"https://www.facs.org/media/c5ik5tkr/ajcc-current-staging-system-2026.pdf"}],"tags":[],"related":["ajcc-version-9","tnm-staging"],"cancers":["anal"],"sections":[],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"category":"Clinical"},"route":"/terms/anus-staging/","neighbours":{"term":[{"id":"ajcc-version-9","kind":"term","name":"AJCC Version 9 staging","route":"/terms/ajcc-version-9/"},{"id":"staging-systems","kind":"term","name":"Disease-specific staging and risk systems (FIGO, Ann Arbor, IPI, R-ISS, ELN, IMDC)","route":"/terms/staging-systems/"},{"id":"tnm-staging","kind":"term","name":"TNM staging","route":"/terms/tnm-staging/"}],"cancer":[{"id":"anal","kind":"cancer","name":"Anal cancer (squamous cell carcinoma)","route":"/cancers/anal/"}]}}