The mortality rate of liver cancer in China ranks second in the mortality rate of malignant tumors in China, after stomach cancer. According to statistics, there are 300,000 new cases of liver cancer in China every year, and 110,000 deaths from liver cancer every year, which is the country with the highest incidence and mortality rate of liver cancer in the world. However, as a clinician in the front line of liver cancer diagnosis and treatment, I deeply feel that the popular knowledge about early diagnosis and rational treatment of liver cancer is far from enough. In 2008, more than 60 famous experts in the field of liver cancer diagnosis and treatment in China revised and adopted the Expert Consensus on Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Liver Cancer, which provides the most authoritative explanation on the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. The following is an excerpt of some of the contents related to liver cancer for the benefit of readers. 1.What is “high-risk group” of liver cancer? Men over 35 years old with hepatitis B virus and/or hepatitis C virus infection are at high risk of liver cancer. This concept consists of three parts: First, the incidence age of liver cancer is trending younger, and young liver cancer patients under 30 years old are occasionally seen in clinical practice. Second, in China, 95% of liver cancer patients have a background of hepatitis B virus infection, 10% have a background of hepatitis C virus infection, and some patients have overlapping hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection. It is worth mentioning that hepatitis patients belong to this high-risk group regardless of whether they usually have normal liver function or not. Thirdly, the ratio of male to female liver cancer patients in China is 3 to 5:1, which shows that liver cancer is a greater threat to male patients. Therefore, those who meet the above high-risk factors should have regular medical checkups to achieve early diagnosis and treatment. 2.How to make a medical checkup plan? Currently, there is no significant and effective preventive measure for liver cancer, so the most effective strategy is to conduct regular medical checkups to improve the diagnosis rate of early liver cancer and early treatment, thus increasing the survival rate of liver cancer. Currently, the simple and sensitive alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is usually used as the initial screening test, but some patients with liver cancer have negative AFP or low AFP concentration, so additional ultrasound is needed. The combination of AFP and ultrasound imaging is currently considered to be the ideal method for conducting screening and the best way to detect small hepatocellular carcinoma. If the diagnosis cannot be confirmed, CT or MRI can be added for some suspicious patients. For the “high-risk group” of liver cancer, it is recommended to have an examination every 6 months. 3.Small liver cancer and early liver cancer Small liver cancer is classically defined as liver cancer with diameter ≤5cm, but small liver cancer is not exactly equal to the concept of early liver cancer. Some small liver cancers show tiny metastases or vascular invasion in early stage, such small liver cancers have poor treatment effect. Early stage liver cancer refers to single liver cancer or multiple (number ≤3) liver cancers with maximum diameter <3cm, and no liver vascular invasion and other organ metastases. Early stage hepatocellular carcinoma can be treated curatively, and the main treatment means include hepatectomy, liver transplantation and radiofrequency therapy. Overseas reports show that early stage liver cancer accounts for 30% of the total number of liver cancer, and the 5-year survival rate after treatment reaches 50-70%. 4.How to treat middle and late stage liver cancer? Liver cancer is a highly invasive malignant tumor, the early symptoms are not obvious, and most patients are in the middle and late stages when they are diagnosed. Most of the patients are already in the middle and late stages when they are diagnosed. Hepatic artery chemoembolization (TACE) is the treatment of choice for mid- to late-stage liver cancer, with a 3-year survival rate of 20-40%; 10%-30% of patients with mid- to late-stage liver cancer can receive palliative surgery, but the overall prognosis is poor and recurrence is easy after surgery; as the only targeted drug with definite efficacy in mid- to late-stage liver cancer, sorafenib provides a new treatment option for clinicians and patients. X-knife, gamma-knife and argon helium knife can also be effective for some of the intermediate and advanced hepatocellular carcinomas. Finally, patients with detected liver cancer should go to regular hospitals in a timely manner, and should not easily believe in the so-called "magic pills" and "secret recipes", which may cause delays in their illness.