In recent years, the number of elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been increasing. The aim of this study was to compare the liver function and the background factors of HCC patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by generation and to examine the characteristics of this disease in the elderly. A total of 1096 patients (776 men and 320 women) diagnosed with HCV-related HCC at our institution from 1995 to 2006 were divided into 4 groups as follows: D group, 75 years of age or older; C group, 65-74 years of age; B group, 55-64 years of age; A group, 54 years of age or younger, and the liver function and other clinical characteristics were compared among these 4 groups. The average age at initial diagnosis of HCV-related HCC was 66.9 years of age. The A, B, C and D groups were comprised of 87, 363, 514 and 132 patients, respectively. The rate of Child-Pugh class A patients in the D group was significantly higher than that of the other groups (P<0.05). The average levels of ALT, TB and PT-INR in the D group were significantly lower than the levels in the other groups (P<0.05). The average Alb level in the D group was significantly higher than that in the other groups (P<0.05). In conclusion, we found that HCV-related HCC in the elderly occurred against a background of chronic liver disease with mild inflammation and fibrosis.