Liver Cancer Staging

Doctors use stage grouping to determine your overall disease stage. Once we know your T, N, and M status, we use this information to put together your stage grouping.  

Stage grouping is shown in Roman numerals from I (the earliest stage) to IV (the most advanced stage).

Stage I liver cancer

There is a single mass in the liver that has not spread to any blood vessels.

Stage II liver cancer

A single mass in the liver that has invaded blood vessels, or, multiple tumors are in the liver, but they are less than five centimeters (approximately two inches) in width.

Stage III liver cancer

• Stage IIIA: There are many tumors in the liver and at least one is larger than five centimeters (approximately two inches). None of the tumors has spread to the lymph nodes or to areas outside of the liver. 
• Stage IIIB: The cancer has spread to one of the main blood vessels in the liver (the portal or hepatic veins), but it has not reached the lymph nodes or other organs.
• Stage IIIC: Tumors have spread to nearby organs (other than the gallbladder, which lies directly underneath the liver), or, at least one tumor has extended into the outer layer of tissue that covers the liver. The cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes or distant organs.

Stage IV liver cancer

• Stage IVA: Tumors of any size have spread into lymph nodes near the liver. The cancer has not yet reached distant organs.
• Stage IVB: The tumor has spread to distant organs, such as the lungs, bones, or brain. Invasion into nearby blood vessels and lymph nodes may or may not be evident.