Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) is expressed differently in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues. Since its expression and regulatory mechanism remain unclear, whether HSP70 can help with the early diagnosis, treatment, and prognostic evaluation of HCC has become a hot research topic. This article reviews the source of HSP70 and its family, abnormal expression of HSP70 in HCC, and its association with treatment methods and prognostic evaluation of HCC, in order to provide a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment of HCC.