<p>The global incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma remains high, and early diagnosis is key to improving patient prognosis. This article reviews the technical characteristics, diagnostic value, and limitations of commonly used radiotracers in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, with the aim of providing guidance for the development of personalized treatment plans in clinical practice. Radionuclide molecular imaging effectively addresses the shortcomings of conventional imaging in detecting early-stage microlesions and distinguishing tumor subtypes. The combined use of dual tracers and novel tracers also shows promising prospects, and various radionuclide imaging techniques can provide more precise diagnostic evidence for hepatocellular carcinoma. In the future, it will be necessary to accelerate the research and development of new radionuclides and targeted molecules to further promote the integrated development of nuclear medicine diagnosis and therapy.</p>