Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men worldwide, and the 6th and 7th cause of cancer deaths in men and women in developed countries. 70％-90％ of primary liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatitis B or C viruses and chronic inflammation due to alcohol intake are the main risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma. One of the key approaches for the early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma is to understand the specific imaging findings of liver nodules in the multi-step hepatocrcinogenesis process. In this article, we review the imaging findings of multistep hepatocarcinogenesis, with a focus on the early detection of malignant, cirrhotic nodules with CT and MRI.