The annual incidence of liver cancer in China accounts for 55% of the world. Most liver cancer patients feel nothing when they discover liver cancer, often they are found in accidental check-ups. Once liver occupancy is found, they need to deal with the following questions: i. whether they can be diagnosed with liver cancer; ii. how to treat liver cancer after it is diagnosed? How to choose the treatment method for liver cancer? I. Whether liver cancer can be diagnosed? It is important to make a clear diagnosis, and only with a clear diagnosis can we choose a suitable treatment plan. Pathological diagnosis is the gold standard of liver cancer diagnosis. Generally, the method of percutaneous liver tumor puncture is used to obtain a small piece of tumor tissue for pathological examination. However, this diagnostic method is invasive and has certain risks, such as causing tumor dissemination and metastasis, tumor bleeding, etc. Meanwhile, puncture pathology examination is not 100% sensitive, and if the puncture result is negative, the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cannot be completely excluded. Clinical diagnosis is now widely used and has a high diagnostic compliance rate. If a patient with cirrhosis meets any one of the following criteria, the diagnosis can be made: 1. focal lesion ≤ 2 cm. both imaging examinations show high blood supply in the arterial phase and clearance in the venous phase. 2. Focal lesions >2 cm, with one imaging study demonstrating arterial hyperemia and venous clearance. The imaging methods that can be used: enhanced ultrasound (ultrasonography), dynamic CT and MRI. 80%-90% of patients in China are combined with viral hepatitis B infection and 50-70% of patients may have elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), which need to be considered in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma to assist the diagnosis. II. What should be treated after the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma? If liver cancer is diagnosed histopathologically or clinically, a comprehensive assessment of the patient’s general condition, liver function and tumor status is needed to formulate a scientific treatment plan so that the patient can get the best treatment effect. Currently, surgical treatment (hepatectomy and liver transplantation) and non-surgical treatment (local treatment, arterial chemoembolization, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, biologic therapy and molecular targeted therapy) are the main treatments commonly used in clinical practice. The above treatment methods for liver cancer have their own advantages and disadvantages, as well as their respective indications. When choosing a treatment plan, we should fully consider factors such as tumor location, scope, growth rate, liver function, age and financial ability, etc., and formulate a comprehensive treatment plan with the best efficacy, the least side effects and suitable for the patient’s financial condition, so as to bring into play the comprehensive advantages of all treatment methods. How to choose treatment methods for liver cancer? 1.Surgical treatment. Surgical treatment is the only possible way to cure liver cancer. It includes hepatectomy and liver transplantation. Surgical resection is suitable for patients with single tumor and good liver function. The remaining liver tissue after surgery should be sufficient to maintain normal liver function. Liver transplantation has broader requirements for liver function than hepatectomy and can be used for patients with poor liver function. Currently, liver transplantation mainly adopts the Milan criteria, which include single hepatocellular carcinoma ≤ 5 cm in diameter or the number of tumors ≤ 3 cm and each tumor diameter < 3 cm. However, the biggest problem facing liver transplantation is the lack of liver sources, and many patients cannot receive timely treatment due to tumor progression while waiting for liver sources. Therefore, it is necessary to choose hepatectomy and liver transplantation reasonably according to the patient's condition to ensure the safety of surgery and prevent the waste of liver source. 2. Local treatment includes percutaneous radiofrequency ablation therapy and percutaneous anhydrous ethanol injection. These two treatment modalities are effective treatments for diagnosing smaller hepatocellular carcinoma. Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation can be used for patients with single liver cancer with diameter <5cm or liver cancer with the number of tumors not more than 3 and the diameter of single tumor <3cm. Percutaneous anhydrous ethanol injection is more satisfactory for patients with tumor diameter <2 cm, but the shortcoming is that repeated injections lasting for several days (usually 4 times are needed to achieve complete tumor necrosis) are required. 3.Transcatheter arterial embolization or arterial chemoembolization. Since the blood supply of the cancer in hepatocellular carcinoma mainly comes from the hepatic artery. This method can improve the local concentration of chemotherapeutic drugs, and the embolization agent causes ischemic necrosis of the tumor due to the obstruction of blood supply to the tumor. This treatment method is suitable for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who have no indication for surgery, cannot undergo percutaneous ablation or anhydrous alcohol injection, and have no vascular infiltration or extrahepatic tumor metastasis. It is currently the standard treatment for patients with mid-stage hepatocellular carcinoma. 4. In the past, radiotherapy was rarely used in clinical practice because of its large damage to the liver and poor effect. However, with the advancement of 3D conformal radiotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy, the therapeutic value of radiotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma has gradually emerged. Radiotherapy, together with hepatic artery chemoembolization therapy, is suitable for patients who cannot be treated surgically. 5. Biological therapy and molecular targeted therapy. For patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, biological therapy (immunotherapy, gene therapy, endocrine therapy and stem cell therapy, etc.) can be used. In recent years, molecular targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma has made great progress, and sorafenib is now approved as the first-line treatment option for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma at home and abroad. In conclusion, patients with hepatocellular carcinoma should first clarify the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, and then choose a reasonable comprehensive treatment plan according to the patient's general condition, liver function and tumor stage.