The liver cancer staging is done based on the TNM system of staging.
The TNM system of staging has the following factors:
Tumor (T): This determines how large the cancer has grown or if there is more than one tumor in the liver or if the cancer has reached nearby structures in the liver like the veins.
Lymph node s (N): This factor indicates if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
Metastasis (M): This factor refers to whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Liver cancer staging is done usually based on the results of the biopsies, physical exam and imaging tests. If surgery is conducted, the pathological state is determined by examining the tissue that was removed during the surgery.
Stage 1 liver cancer is the earliest stage and means that there is a single tumor that has not grown into the blood vessels. Stage 1 is further divided into substages 1A and 1B.
Stage 1A
T1a:
A single tumor of size 2 cm or smaller is found and the tumor has not grown into the nearby blood vessels.
N0:
The cancer has not spread to the nearby lymph nodes.
M0:
The cancer has not spread to distant sites.
Stage 1B
T1b:
A single tumor larger than 2cm is found and it has not grown into the blood vessels.
N0:
The cancer has not spread to the nearby lymph nodes.
M0:
The cancer has not spread to distant sites.
