The role of liver transplantation for hepatobiliary malignant disorders remains controversial and will remain so until several crucial issues are resolved, the main difficulty being the shortage of organ donors. Furthermore, a consensus needs to be reached within the transplantation community on the tumour stage at which each disorder is too advanced to be salvaged by liver transplantation. Despite these limitations, there are generally accepted criteria that define when transplantation can, and should, be offered for hepatobiliary malignant disorders.