Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers globally. In contrast to the declining death rates observed for all other common cancers such as breast, lung, and prostate cancers, the death rates for HCC continue to increase by ~2–3% per year because HCC is frequently diagnosed late and there is no curative therapy for an advanced HCC. The early diagnosis of HCC is truly a big challenge. Over the past years, the early diagnosis of HCC has relied on surveillance with ultrasonography (US) and serological assessments of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). However, the specificity and sensitivity of US/AFP is not satisfactory enough to detect early onset HCC. Recent technological advancements offer hope for early HCC diagnosis. Herein, we review the progress made in HCC diagnostics, with a focus on emerging imaging techniques and biomarkers for early disease diagnosis.

肝细胞癌（HCC）是全球最流行的癌症之一。与所有其他常见癌症（例如乳腺癌，肺癌和前列腺癌）观察到的死亡率下降相反，HCC的死亡率每年继续增加约2-3％，因为HCC经常被诊断为晚期且没有治愈方法治疗晚期肝癌。肝癌的早期诊断确实是一个巨大的挑战。在过去的几年中，肝癌的早期诊断依靠超声检查（US）和甲胎蛋白（AFP）的血清学评估。但是，US / AFP的特异性和敏感性不足以检测早期HCC。最近的技术进步为早期HCC诊断提供了希望。在此，我们将回顾HCC诊断方面的进展，