A total of 125 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated by hepatic resection in our department from 1970 to 1989 were reviewed to determine recurrent factors, recurrent modes of HCC and to assess the treatment for recurrent HCC. Seventy-five of 125 patients had recurrent tumors after the first hepatic resection. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year cumulative recurrent rates after hepatic resection were 25%, 52% and 67% respectively. The size of the tumor, intrahepatic metastasis, portal vein involvement, clinical stage and DNA ploidy pattern were judged as useful predictive factors for recurrence of HCC after hepatic resection. In the patients with intrahepatic metastases, the bilateral lobes of the remnant liver were the most frequent recurrent sites. The treatment for recurrent HCC was divided into 3 groups such as re-resection, transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and palliative treatment. The survival curves of patients receiving re-resection and TAE were significant better than those of patients receiving palliative treatment. Patients treated by re-resection for recurrent HCC had the longest survival. The 1-, 3- and 5-year cumulative survival rates after re-resection were 84%, 60% and 48% respectively. It is concluded that the early detection of recurrent HCC is important and re-resection or TAE is effective treatment for recurrent HCC.