We performed liver resection for focal liver disease in 266 patients between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 2001 at the University of Debrecen Medical and Health Science Center, Medical School of Medicine, 2nd Department of Surgery in Debrecen, Hungary. The indication was primary liver cancer in 35 cases, liver metastasis in 97 cases. The primary tumour and its liver metastases were removed synchronously in 28 patients (29.9%). Comparing the results of different operating methods we found the need of transfusion significantly less in "anterior" liver resections. Regarding operating time, complications and survival time there were no significant differences between the different operations. One patient died in the perioperative period because of cardiac failure and one because of DIC (1.5%). There were 4 complications which needed reoperation in the early postoperative period. Eighty of the patients were treated with systemic adjuvant chemotherapy (Mayo protocol), with added chemoembolisation in another 26 patients. This has not increased life expectancy significantly. Thirty-two patients are still alive, their average survival time is 21.2 (5 to 59) months. The average survival time of the 78 patients' who died is 16.5 (3 to 58) months. Twenty-two patients were lost out of our follow-up.