Selection of treatment modality for hepatocellular carcinoma according to the modified Japan Integrated Staging score

Table 1A Definition and criteria of the TNM stage for HCC according to the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan[17]

Factor of T category
1 Number of tumors: 1
2 Tumor size: no more than 2 cm
3 No vascular or bile duct invasion
T category	T1: Fulfilling all three factors
	T2: Fulfilling two factors
	T3: Fulfilling one factor
	T4: Fulfilling none of the factors
N category	N0: Absence of lymph node metastasis
	N1: Presence of lymph node metastasis
M category	M0: Absence of distant metastasis
	M1: Presence of distant metastasis
Stage I	T1 N0 M0
Stage II	T2 N0 M0
Stage III	T3 N0 M0
Stage IV-A	T4 N0 M0 or T1-T4, N1M0
Stage IV-B	T1-4, N0 or 1, M1