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Background/AimsThe liver has a tremendous ability to hypertrophy in compensation for acute parenchymal loss by surgical hepatectomy and possibly by radiotherapy. This ability, however, is impaired in the cirrhotic liver and therefore major hepatectomy is even precluded from a treatment of choice for hepatoma. Radiotherapy can be an alternative treatment of hepatoma and the ability to hypertrophy will be a major determinant of radiation tolerance. The aim of this study is to determine the ability of the cirrhotic liver to hypertrophy following radiotherapy.