Abstract: Liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in China. The efficacy of traditional treatment for liver cancer is unsatisfactory, and the prognosis of the patients is poor. In recent 10 years, with the development of the molecular biological techniques, genetic therapy has become a new and promising approach for liver cancer. Of which, adenovirus mediated herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (ADVtk) for the treatment of liver cancer is widely applied. The enzyme secreted by ADVtk transformed the prodrug gancyclovir (GCV) to the cytotoxic agents and thus to kill the liver cancer cells. The results of multiple animal and clinical experiments showed that ADVtk/GCV is effective for the treatment of liver cancer. In this article, the recent progress of ADVtk/GCV in the treatment of liver cancer was reviewed.