Abstract: The treatment principle for primary liver cancer referring as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in this article is comprehensive treatment based on radical hepatectomy. Focusing on improving the resection rate and reducing the recurrence rate after operation, the conversion therapy, preoperative neoadjuvant therapy and postoperative adjuvant therapy have emerged to become potentially curative strategies and research hotspots. HCC is highly invasive and often complicated with cirrhosis, so comprehensive treatment is essential for better prognosis. However, due to the controversy of surgical indications and heterogeneity among individuals, the concepts and treatment methods of above three therapies, especially between the conversion therapy and the preoperative neoadjuvant therapy, remain overlap and puzzle sometimes. Moreover, because of the different therapy goals, the above three therapies are different in the selection of treatment methods, duration of therapy and evaluation criteria. Based on clinical practice, the authors investigate the progress and hot spots of the conversion therapy, preoperative neoadjuvant therapy and post-operative adjuvant therapy of HCC, expecting more clinical evidence-based medicine to standardize the development of comprehensive treatment, so as to become a breakthrough to improve the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.