Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) frequently recur after partial liver resection or orthotopic liver transplantation, possibly because of the presence of a small number of hepatoma cells in the peripheral blood. Detection of circulating HCC cells might improve therapeutic options and could predict disease recurrence resulting from a metastasizing disease. In the present study, human albumin-mRNA was detected by RT-PCR in the peripheral blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Circulating albumin-specific PCR products were detected in each patient with HCC, but also in healthy volunteers. It is concluded that albumin-mRNA is not specific to circulating hepatoma cells and therefore does not indicate metastasizing disease.