MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in regulation of tumor metastasis. However, the role of these molecules in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we employed miRNA-sequencing and identified 22 miRNAs involved in HCC metastasis. One of these, miR-28-5p, was down-regulated in HCCs. This downregulation correlated with tumor metastasis, recurrence, and poor survival. Biofunctional investigations revealed that miR-28-5p deficiency promoted tumor growth and metastasis in nude mice without altering the in vitro biological characteristics of HCC cells. Through gene expression profiles and bioinformatics analysis, we identified interleukin-34 (IL-34) as a direct target of miR-28-5p, and the effects of miR-28-5p deficiency on HCC growth and metastasis was dependent on IL-34-mediated tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) infiltration. Moreover, we found that TAMs induced by miR-28-5p-IL-34 signaling inhibit miR-28-5p expression on HCC cells by transforming growth factor beta 1, resulting in an miR-28-5p-IL-34-macrophage-positive feedback loop. In clinical HCC samples, miR-28-5p levels were inversely correlated with IL-34 expression and the number of TAMs. Patients with low miR-28-5p expression, high IL-34 levels, and high numbers of TAMs had a poor prognosis with shorter overall survival and time to recurrence. Conclusion: A miR-28-5p-IL-34-macrophage feedback loop modulates HCC metastasis and serves as a novel prognostic factor as well as a therapeutic target for HCC. (HEPATOLOGY 2016;63:1560-1575 M etastasis accounts for approximately 90% of cancer-related mortality. (1) The process of metastasis is complex and involves the escape of tumor cells from a primary carcinoma, local invasion of the surrounding tissue, entrance into the systemic circulation, survival during transit through the vasculature, extravasation into the parenchyma of distant tissues, establishment of micrometastases, and ultimately outgrowth of metastatic tumors. (1,2) Multiple studies have explored the intrinsic mechanisms of cancer cells and the extrinsic microenvironmental factors that influence such tumor metastasis (3)(4)(5) ; however, our understanding of these mechanisms remains incomplete.MicroRNAs (miRNAs) comprise a class of small, noncoding RNAs that regulate comprehensive biological processes by changing the expression and translation of their target messenger RNA (mRNA) genes. (6) Deregulation of miRNAs has been confirmed in a number of human diseases, and a crucial role for miRNAs in the development and progression of human