Currently, surgical resection is still the preferred treatment for liver cancer. The survival rate of hepatocellular carcinoma after surgery is closely related to the following factors. (1) Early resection: Early resection is undoubtedly the key factor to improve tumor-free survival. It has been reported that the 5-year survival rate after surgery for small hepatocellular carcinoma less than 5 cm reaches 79.0% and 83.3% for those less than 3 cm. It can be seen that early diagnosis and treatment are closely related to the improvement of postoperative survival rate. (2) Intraoperative prevention: Intraoperative preventive measures are also crucial to prolong tumor-free survival. First, avoid squeezing the liver and tumor during the whole operation as much as possible, as increased intra-tumor pressure is an important cause of hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis. Fifth, intraoperative ultrasound is also helpful for radical resection; Sixth, drug infusion device (DDS) built into portal vein or hepatic artery is also a desirable option. (3) Postoperative comprehensive treatment: postoperative comprehensive treatment such as immunotherapy, DDS, chemotherapy and Chinese herbal medicine may also have different degrees of efficacy. (4) Recurrence reoperation: Recurrence reoperation is an important method to prolong the survival with tumor, and the 5-year survival rate after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma can reach more than 40%, and reports from other authors at home and abroad also confirm the superiority of reoperation. Therefore, re-operative resection or local ablation treatment should be actively advocated for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma when available.