Apoptosis and nuclear antigen of proliferating cells were detected by labelling technique of in situ terminal deoxynucleotide transferase and immunohistochemical method in liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). The density of apoptotic cells in HCC was significantly lower than that in cirrhosis, and the density of proliferating cells was much higher in HCC than that in cirrhosis. Apoptotic cells mainly distributed in the peripseudolobular region of cirrhosis and formed an apoptosis zone. But they scattered within the cancer tissue. The results suggest that the formation of apoptosis zone in cirrhosis may be related to the change of liver blood stream. Selective proliferation of cells may exist during carcinogenesis of liver cirrhosis.