To investigate the prognostic value of serum levels of tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Ninety six patients who had undergone hepatoma resections and 22 patients who received radio frequency ablations (RF) were followed up for 6～12 months.The serum levels of TPS were repeatedly determined.The RF group patients were divided into three subgroups: improved ,stable,and advanced.The median levels (U/L) of serum TPS in advanced subgroup were always higher than those in improved subgroup ( P