Fig. 1.

BCLC staging system and treatment strategy (adapted from [3]). i Very early stage 0: single lesion <2 cm, carcinoma in situ. ii Early stage A: single or 3 nodules ≤3 cm. iii Intermediate stage B: multinodular. iv Advanced stage C: portal invasion, ≥1 involved lymph node, or metastasis. v Prognostic factors include variables mostly related to HCC that are defined as the “Milan criteria”: (single tumors less than 5 cm or 3 nodules less than 3 cm). Whether patients at stage 0 can be offered local ablation as a first-line treatment option is a topic of controversy since transplantation is potentially curative [3]. vi TACE transarterial chemoembolization