title: Current strategy for staging and treatment: the BCLC update and future prospects.
abstract: Staging and treatment indication are relevant topics in the management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and for optimal results, they have to take into account liver function, tumor stage, and physical status. For any staging system to be meaningful it has to link staging with treatment indication; this should be based on robust scientific data. Currently, the sole proposal that serves both aims is the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) approach. It takes into account the relevant parameters of all important dimensions and divides patients into very early/early, intermediate, advanced, and end-stage. Early-stage HCC patients should be considered for potentially curative options such as resection, ablation, and transplantation. Patients at intermediate stage benefit from chemoembolization, whereas patients at an advanced stage, or who cannot benefit from options of higher priority, have sorafenib as the standard treatment. Finally, patients at end-stage should merely receive palliative care.
authors.affiliation: Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) Group, Liver Unit, ICMDM, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Forner
authors.forename: María E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Reig
authors.forename: Carlos Rodriguez
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: de Lope
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bruix
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001557:Benzenesulfonates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D017326:Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D009536:Niacinamide / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D010671:Phenylurea Compounds; D011379:Prognosis; D011725:Pyridines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D000077157:Sorafenib; D013030:Spain; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001557:Benzenesulfonates; D010671:Phenylurea Compounds; D011725:Pyridines; D009536:Niacinamide; D000077157:Sorafenib