The stage of cancer depends on the size of the cancerous tumor as well as the extent of its spread. It helps the doctor in deciding which treatments are needed. Several tests and scans are available which can help in diagnosing liver cancer and providing information about the stage. It also helps doctors understand if the cancer is primary liver cancer or not.

Types of staging systems
There are several staging systems which one could use. These systems are:

• TNM staging system
• Number staging system

Stages of liver cancer
Liver cancer is mainly divided into 4 stages, from stage 1 to stage 4.

• Stage 1A: It means that there is a single tumor in the liver which is 2cms or less in size. It may or may not have grown into a blood vessel.
• Stage 1B: In this stage, the tumor measures more than 2cm in size and has definitely not grown into the blood vessels (microvascular invasion).
• Stage 2: It means that a single tumor has grown more than 2cms in size and has moved into the blood vessels. Later in this stage, there could be several tumors in the liver, all of which measure less than 5cm. In stage 2, cancer does not spread to the lymph nodes or any other area of the body.
• Stage 3A: In this stage, there is more than one tumor; at least one of them has grown larger than 5cms. Liver cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes or any other area.
• Stage 3B: Cancer has grown into the main blood vessels of the liver, namely the portal vein or hepatic vein. Cancer may have spread into organs close to the liver or to the linings of the internal organs of the abdomen. It is vital to note that in this stage, liver cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes or any other part of the body.
• Stage 4A: In this stage, the tumor could have grown into any size, and the patient has more than one tumor. It also may have grown into the blood vessels or organs around the liver. There is a possibility that it may have spread to the lymph nodes, but not to any other part of the body.
• Stage 4B: By this stage, liver cancer has spread to the blood vessels and organs around the liver, but it may not have spread to the lymph nodes. A distinctive characteristic of this stage is that liver cancer has spread to other parts of the body, including the lungs and bones.

Unfortunately, when liver cancer is in the advanced stages, the treatments may not be effective enough to cure the condition. The treatments then focus on controlling the spread of cancer and providing the patient with a good quality of life.