Types and Stages of Liver Cancer

The liver may be a large organ that sits within the upper right part of your abdomen, beneath your diaphragm, and above your stomach.

The liver can develop a variety of cancers. Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most frequent type of liver cancer, and it starts in the major type of liver cell (hepatocyte). Other kinds of liver cancer are significantly less prevalent, such as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and hepatoblastoma.

The spread of cancer to the liver is more common than cancer that starts in the liver cells. Metastatic cancer, rather than liver cancer, is cancer that starts in another part of the body, such as the colon, lung, or breast, and then spreads to the liver. Metastatic colon cancer, for example, is a kind of cancer that starts in the colon and spreads to the liver. Doctor Anand Khakhar is the best liver surgeon and he works with Apollo hospitals can help you with all your liver problems.

Types of liver cancer

Every patient with liver cancer is unique. Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) has considerable experience in staging and diagnosing the disease, as well as devising a treatment plan appropriate to each patient's kind of liver cancer.

There are various forms of liver cancer, each based on the sort of malignant cells that develop.

  • Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), commonly known as hepatoma, is the most common type of liver cancer, accounting for around 75 percent of all cases. HCC begins in the hepatocellular cells, which are the most common form of liver cells. Hepatitis B or C infection, or alcohol-induced cirrhosis of the liver, are the most common causes of HCC.
  • Fibrolamellar HCC is an uncommon form of liver cancer that responds to treatment better than other types of liver cancer.
  • Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) develops in the tiny, tube-like bile ducts that convey bile to the gallbladder within the liver. Cholangiocarcinomas are responsible for 10-20% of all liver cancers. Cancer of the bile ducts in the liver is called intrahepatic bile duct cancer. Cancer of the common bile ducts outside the liver is understood as extrahepatic bile duct cancer.
  • Hemangiocarcinoma, also known as angiosarcoma, makes for roughly 1% of all liver cancers. Angiosarcomas start in the liver's blood veins and spread swiftly. They are usually discovered when they have progressed to an advanced stage.
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When primary cancer from another part of the body spreads to the liver, it is known as secondary liver cancer or liver metastasis. The majority of liver metastases are caused by a colon or colorectal cancer. More than half of colon cancer patients go on to acquire secondary liver cancer.

The different stages of liver cancer

Staging refers to the location of cancer, if it has spread, and whether it has spread to other sections of the body. Staging cancer helps doctors evaluate the disease's prognosis, or the possibility of recovery, as well as the best therapy options.

Doctors utilize diagnostic tests to determine cancer's stage, therefore it's possible that the staging won't be complete until all of the tests have been completed. Knowing the stage can assist a doctor to decide what kind of treatment is best for a patient and can even help predict their prognosis? Distinct forms of cancer have different stage descriptions.

There are two types of liver cancer, as stated in the introduction: primary and metastatic. The liver is where primary liver cancer begins. Cancer that has progressed from another region of the body to the liver is known as metastatic (secondary) liver cancer. The phases of primary liver cancer are described in this section.

The TNM staging system is a system for categorizing

The TNM system is used to define a variety of cancers and is the most often utilized system in the United States to stage liver cancer. TNM, which was developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer, does not consider liver function. This is why various staging systems for primary cancer of the liver, like the Barcelona Clinic cancer of the liver system, are sometimes utilized.

The staging criteria in the TNM method are based on the consideration of three key factors:

  • T (tumor) denotes the initial tumor's size.
  • The letter N (node) indicates whether the malignancy has spread to neighboring lymph nodes.
  • The letter M denotes whether cancer has progressed to other places of the body. (The lungs and bones are the most prevalent sites of liver cancer metastasis.)

Each factor is assigned a number (0-4) or the letter X. A greater number suggests that the situation is becoming more serious. A T1 score, for example, implies a smaller tumor than a T2 score. The letter X indicates that the information could not be evaluated. After the T, N, and M scores have been determined, the overall stage of liver cancer is determined.

Stage 1: liver cancer consists of the following symptoms: No blood vessels have formed into the single main tumor (of any size). Cancer hasn't migrated to any neighboring lymph nodes or any distant locations.

Stage 2: In stage 2 liver cancer, one initial tumor (of any size) has grown into blood vessels, or numerous tumors are present (all smaller than 5 cm).

Stage 3: There are three subgroups of stage 3 liver cancer.

Stage 3A: Several tumors have been discovered, at least one of which is greater than 5 cm in diameter. Cancer hasn't migrated to any neighboring lymph nodes or any distant locations.

Stage 3B: Several tumors have been discovered, and at least one of them is developing into a portal vein or hepatic vein branch. The liver cancer hasn't migrated to any neighboring lymph nodes or any distant locations.

Stage 4: Cancer may have progressed to neighboring lymph nodes and/or distant parts of the body in stage 4 liver cancer. Advanced cancer of the liver seldom metastasizes, but when it does, it always goes to the lungs and bones.

Unlike other malignancies, liver cancer is made more difficult by the fact that the majority of patients have damage to the organ that impairs its function. The liver plays an important role in the body's digestion and cleansing. Reduced liver function can lead to serious, even life-threatening problems. Reduced liver function may have ramifications for treatment alternatives as well.

Other methods for determining the stage of liver cancer

Several staging systems for cancer of the liver are created that take under consideration how the liver's function may affect the prognosis:

  • The BCLC (Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer) system
  • System of the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP)
  • Okuda system

Though the TNM method is the most widely used, the medical community does not follow a single staging system consistently, so if you have any issues regarding your liver cancer stage, speak with your oncology team.