With the development of targeted therapy and immunotherapy, the treatment of solid tumors has entered the era of precision medicine. As a result, several new response evaluation criteria systems for solid tumors, which are based on the traditional evaluation systems in solid tumors and comply with the requirements of targeted therapy and immunotherapy, have been developed. Here, the authors systemically present the development and current status of response evaluation systems for solid tumors, emphatically from the aspect of targeted therapy of liver cancer, hoping to provide a guidance for clinical practice.