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.