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Histomorphological changes occurring in the liver tissue were studied to confirm the hypothesis about sequential development of primary liver carcinoma. Tumor-surrounding liver tissue was evaluated in 27 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and in 5 cases of cholangiocarcinoma in order to determine histomorphological and cytological characteristics of yet untransformed liver tissue. These characteristics included low rate of HBV infections, high inflammation rate, cirrhosis and siderin overload. Small nodules formed by round hepatocytes were observed in 62.5% of cases. Cytological characteristics of these hepatocytes included morphological changes due to disturbances carbohydrate and protein metabolism, and slight nuclear changes. Preneoplastic histological alterations found in experimental hepatocarcinogenesis were similar to those observed in our study. Round, nodule-forming hepatocytes most likely represent a new, preneoplastic element in the liver parenchima. Further investigations will be needed to determine the significance of the above described changes.