Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks sixth in cancer incidence and third in cancer mortality worldwide. The diagnosis of HCC is made on the basis of tumor markers and imaging examination such as CT or MRI at present. The most commonly used serological marker is alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), of which the sensitivity ranges from 33% to 85% and is only 56.3% on average. The sensitivities of CT and MRI in the diagnosis of small HCC lesions (diameter ≤ 2cm) reported to be about only 20% and 27% respectively. Therefore, distinction from small malignancies to benign lesions by using tumor marker tests or conventional imaging method may be difficult and unreliable.