Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death around the world due to advanced clinical stage at diagnosis

high incidence of recurrence and metastasis after surgical treatment. It is in urgent need to create appropriate animal models to explore the mechanism

patterns

risk factors

and therapeutic strategies of HCC metastasis and recurrence. However

most of the established models lack the phenotype of invasion and metastasis in patient

or have unstable phenotype. To establish HCC models with stable metastasis phenotype requires profound understanding in cancer metastasis biology and scientific methodology. Over the past 3 decades

HCC models with stable metastasis have been extensively studied. This paper reviewed the history and development of HCC animal models and cell models

focusing on the screening and maintaining of metastatic potential and phenotype. In-depth studies using these models vastly promote the understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms and development of therapeutic strategies on HCC metastasis.