Database	Time span	Search strategy
The Cochrane Hepato‐Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register	September 2005.	*adjuvant AND (((hepatocellular OR 'liver cell') AND carcinoma) OR HCC)
Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library	Issue 3, 2005.	#1 MeSH descriptor Chemotherapy, Adjuvant explode all trees in MeSH products #2 MeSH descriptor Neoadjuvant Therapy explode all trees in MeSH products #3 neoadjuvant* or adjuvant* in All Fields in all products #4 (#1 OR #2 OR #3) #5 MeSH descriptor Carcinoma, Hepatocellular explode all trees in MeSH products #6 ((hepatocellular or liver cell) and carcinoma) or HCC in All Fields in all products #7 (#5 OR #6) #8 (#4 AND #7)
MEDLINE (WinSPIRS 5.0)	1950 to September 2005.	#1 explode "Chemotherapy‐Adjuvant"/ all subheadings #2 explode "Neoadjuvant‐Therapy"/ all subheadings #3 neoadjuvant* or adjuvant* #4 #1 or #2 or #3 #5 explode "Carcinoma‐Hepatocellular"/ all subheadings #6 ((hepatocellular or liver cell) and carcinoma) or HCC #7 #5 or #6 #8 #4 and #7 #9 random* or blind* or placebo* or meta‐analysis #10 #8 and #9
EMBASE	1980 to September 2005.	#1 explode "adjuvant‐therapy"/ all subheadings #2 neoadjuvant* or adjuvant* #3 #1 or #2 #4 explode "liver‐cell‐carcinoma"/ all subheadings #5 ((hepatocellular or liver cell) and carcinoma) or HCC #6 #4 or #5 #7 #3 and #6 #8 random* or blind* or placebo* or meta‐analysis #9 #7 and #8
Science Citation Index EXPANDED (http://portal.isiknowledge.com/portal.cgi?DestApp=WOS&Func=Frame)	1945 to September 2005.	#1 TS=(neoadjuvant* OR adjuvant) #2 TS=(((hepatocellular OR 'liver cell') AND carcinoma) OR HCC) #3 #2 AND #1 #4 TS=(random* or blind* or placebo* or meta‐analysis) #5 #4 AND #3
Chinese Biomedical Database	1978‐2003	#1 Cancer, Liver cell #2 Liver #3 Hepatocellular carcinoma #4 Surgical operation #5 Resection #6 Surgery #7 Surgical resection #8 #1 or #2 or #3 #9 #4 or #5 or #6 #10 #8 and #9 #11 Randomized controlled trial #12 Random allocation #13 #11 or #12 #14 #10 and #13 This strategy was translated from Chinese to English.
US National Cancer Institute's Physician's Data Query Trials Database	September 2005	Type of Cancer= Liver cancer Stage/Subtype of Cancer = Localised resectable cancer Type of trial = treatment