Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment for malignant liver tumours and offers the only chance of cure. Advances in radiological imaging, surgical technique and peri-operative management have enabled liver resection to be performed safely. Partial hepatectomy is indicated for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer. In addition, it may be utilized for selected patients with liver metastases from other primary tumours. Total hepatectomy with transplantation may be of benefit in some patients with unresectable neuroendocrine metastases or small hepatocellular carcinomas. The role of cryosurgery has not been precisely defined, and it needs to be compared with other palliative therapies such as ethanol injection and hepatic artery embolization.