The International Liver Cancer Association (ILCA) congress took place in Kyoto, Japan, from September 4 to 7, 2014 and ranged from basic to clinical studies in the area of primary liver cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but also cholangiocarcinoma. In the field of basic and translational research, several studies attempted to refine our knowledge of biological events involved in liver carcinogenesis and sought to identify new therapeutic targets for improving clinical care in the future, Fig. 1. In the present work, a subjective selection of studies among the large number of abstract available at the ILCA meeting is presented and placed into context.