Malignant tumours of the liver are classified as either primary or secondary. Cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer are relatively rare but hepatocellular cancer is the most common solid organ malignancy. This is due to the widespread prevalence of hepatitis B and C, which are major risk factors. Liver metastases may arise from a variety of primary tumours but there is a predilection from the gastrointestinal tract because of direct portal venous drainage. Resection of primary hepatic or biliary tumours is curative in selected patients but accurate staging is critical to avoid unhelpful surgical intervention. Resection is now standard of care in patients with isolated colorectal liver metastases and 5-year overall survival may be as high as 50%. This is usually achieved with concomitant systemic chemotherapy and or biological agents. KRAS and BRAF mutation analysis is routine in patients with colorectal cancer but may also guide surgical options for colorectal liver metastases. All management decisions should be made within a multidisciplinary setting.