Abstract: Objective To compare the therapeutic efficacy of Surgical Resection （RES） and Radio Frequency Ablation （RFA） for treating patients baring metastatic liver cancer within 5 cm， and analysis the prognostic factors of RES group. Methods Records were retrospectively reviewed for 88 patients with metastatic liver cancer，who has been admitted by the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from January 2008 to December 2012. 49 cases received Surgical Resection treatment（RES group） and 33 cases were underwent Radio Frequency Ablation treatment（RFA group）. The potentially prognostic factors of RES group were examined by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results ⑴The 1，2 and 3-year survival rates were 81.6%，68.5% and 50.4% in RES group， respectively，and 84.8%，69.4% and 50.7% in RFA group， respectively，then there were no statistical significance between these two groups（P>0.05）. The 1，2 and 3-year rates of recurrence and metastasis in RES group were 28.8%，54.2% and 68.3%，and showed in 34.9%，50.5% and 69.2% in RFA group（P>0.05）.　⑵The univariate analysis showed that the number of the liver metastases，degree of differentiation of the primary tumor and lymph node metastasis were associated with the prognosis of the patients（P<0.05）. The Cox multi-variate analysis showed lymph node metastasis is an independent prognostic factor affecting the patients of metastatic liver cancer（P<0.05）. Conclusion ⑴ The short-term therapeutic effect in metastatic liver cancer patients， whose lesion is up to 5　cm， seems not to differ in RFA and RES. But from the point of the treatment，RFA，which has a lower trauma than RES，might be a prior selection for metastatic liver cancer patients.　⑵ the number of the liver metastases，the degree of differentiation of the primary tumor and lymph node metastasis are associated with the prognosis of the patients. Lymph node metastasis is an independent prognostic factor affecting the patients of metastatic liver cancer.

Key words: Liver neoplasm, Metastatic liver cancer, Surgical resection, Radio frequency ablation, Prognostic