The stages of primary liver cancer
This page tells you about the different stgaes of primary liver cancer. There is information on
The stages of primary liver cancer
The stage of a cancer tells the doctor how far it has grown. It is important because decisions about treatment are often made according to the stage of a cancer. There are different ways of staging cancers. The numbered staging system for primary liver cancer has 4 main stages.
- Stage 1 means your cancer is a single tumour measuring 2cm or smaller. There are no cancer cells in the blood vessels, lymph nodes or in any other part of the body.
- Stage 2 means a single tumour may have grown into blood vessels or there may be several small tumours in one lobe of the liver. But the cancer has not spread to your lymph nodes or any other part of your body.
- Stage 3 is divided into 2 further groups – stage 3A and 3B. Stage 3A means that the tumours are a bit bigger but have not spread into the lymph nodes. Stage 3B means that the cancer has spread into the lymph nodes close to the liver, but not to any other part of your body.
- Stage 4 cancer is any size, and it has spread to other organs in your body or to lymph nodes that are further away from the liver.
The stage of a cancer tells the doctor how far it has grown. It is important because decisions about treatment are often made according to the stage of the cancer. The tests and scans you have to diagnose your cancer will give some information about the stage. Staging shows whether the cancer is contained within the liver or whether it has spread elsewhere.
There are different ways of staging cancers. There is more detailed information about the stages of liver cancer on the next page and more about staging generally in the about cancer section of CancerHelp UK.
The liver cancer stages are decided on the
- Size of the tumour
- Whether there is cancer in more than one lobe of the liver
- Whether the cancer has grown into or around major blood vessels - this is important because it is easier for cancer cells to get into the blood stream and spread if the tumour is closely involved with the blood vessels
- Whether cancer cells have spread to lymph nodes or other organs in the body
Your cancer is a single tumour measuring 2cm or smaller. There are no cancer cells in the blood vessels, lymph nodes or metastases in any other part of the body.
At this stage the cancer has not spread to your lymph nodes or any other part of your body. It can be one of the following
- A single tumour measuring 2cm across or less with blood vessels involved
- Several tumours that are all contained in one lobe of the liver. Each tumour measures 2cm across or less and no blood vessels are involved
- A single tumour that is larger than 2cm across with no blood vessels involved
This stage is divided into 2 further groups: stage 3A and 3B.
Stage 3A
At this stage the cancer has not spread to your lymph nodes or to any other part of your body. It can be one of the following
- A single tumour measuring more than 2cm across and with blood vessels involved
- Several tumours contained in one lobe of the liver. Each tumour measures 2cm or less and there are blood vessels involved
- Several tumours contained in one lobe of the liver, some of which measure more than 2cm across. There may be blood vessels involved
Stage 3B
The cancer can be any size and blood vessels may or may not be involved. What distinguishes this stage is that cancer cells have spread into the lymph nodes close to the liver. The cancer has not spread to any other part of your body.
The cancer is any size, and it has spread to other organs in your body or to lymph nodes that are further away from the liver.
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