This study sought to determine the clinical profiles and optimal management of primary hepatic carcinoid tumours. The clinical features of nine Chinese patients and 64 patients reported in the English-language literature were characterized. Recurrence rate and survival analysis were performed with the Kaplan-Meier method. The impact of surgical resection and post-operative recurrence on survival was determined by means of the log-rank test. Carcinoid syndrome complicated 10 cases (14%). Sixty-two patients (85%) underwent surgical resection. Actuarial 5- and 10-year survival rates for resected patients were 80% and 75%, respectively. Twelve patients experienced recurrences: the recurrence rate at 5 years post-operatively was 26%. All patients with resectable recurrent disease achieved good long-term survival and no significant relationship was found between recurrence and survival. Owing to the high incidence of recurrence, long-term follow-up is necessary and it is recommended that recurrent cases should be managed with judicious surgical resection.