On principle, the treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) generally involves surgeries. However, if patients are unfit or unwilling to undergo surgeries, medical personnel assess whether radiofrequency ablation is a viable option. If both of the aforementioned curative therapies are unsuitable, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) may be considered. We report a patient who had undergone TACE and whose computed tomography (CT) scan during the 1-month follow-up showed unfavorable results, resulting in the patient deciding to withdraw from the treatment. After a discussion with the patient, 3 months of traditional Chinese medicine-based treatment were recommended. A follow-up CT scan indicated that the size of the tumor was reduced considerably, and that the application of TACE following the traditional Chinese medicine-based treatment yielded remarkable results. Thus, a combination of the two methods may be an option for patients whose liver cancer condition fails to improve after TACE.