Table 2.

Elements of palliative care that may be incorporated into HCC treatment by stage, and elements which might span the course of illness.

BCLC Stage	A	B	C	D
Defined by	Disease confined to the liver; eligible for curative therapies	Disease Confined to liver; not eligible for curative therapies	Metastatic disease or portal vein invasion; reduced performance status	Decompensated liver function; reduced performance status
Cancer-directed treatments	Resection Liver transplant Ablation	Embolization with intent to control disease or downstage	Chemotherapy/ Immunotherapy	None
Potential role of the palliative care interdisciplinary team	Advance care planning discussion prior to surgery	Symptom management; Decisional support around treatment decisions Care coordination	Symptom management Decisional support around treatment decisions	Symptom management End-of-life care preferences Hospice referral
	Ongoing discussion of quality-of-life throughout the illness course, which will change over time as HCC progresses;
	Coping with stigmatization of liver disease/liver cancer;
	Helping to facilitate illness understanding