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Staging
is the process of finding out how widespread the cancer is. The stage
of a liver cancer is the most important factor in looking at treatment
options. There are several different systems used to stage liver cancer.
One major system used to describe the stages of liver cancer
is the
American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM system. Stages are
labeled using Roman numerals I through IV (1-4). Stage III is further
sub-divided into A, B, and C. In general, the lower the number, the
less the cancer has spread. A higher number, such as stage IV (4),
means a more serious cancer.
These stages are useful in helping the doctor decide if your
liver cancer might be cured by surgery. For example, if the cancer is
in an earlier stage and if the non-cancer part of your liver is
healthy, then you might be cured by surgery. Doctors often call this
type of cancer "localized resectable." "Resectable" is the medical term
meaning that the cancer can be removed by surgery.
Sometimes, for various reasons, the cancer cannot be removed
by surgery. These cancers are called "unresectable."
Cancers that have
spread throughout most of the liver or have spread to other organs are
known as advanced.
Since symptoms of liver cancer often do not appear until the
disease is advanced, only a small number of liver cancers are found
early enough to be removed with surgery.
Because people with liver cancer often have cirrhosis too,
doctors treating liver cancer want to know how bad the cirrhosis is.
They use a system that measures several different substances in the
blood, fluid in the belly, and brain function to do this.
Be sure to ask your doctor to explain the stage of your
cancer in a way you understand. This will help you both decide on the
best treatment for you.
Revised: 05/14/2007
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