Objective    To investigate the expression of Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its correlation with invasion and metastasis of HCC.     Methods    Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect the expressions of RKIP mRNA and protein and phosphorylated RKIP (P-RKIP) protein in 72 cases of HCC

50 samples of adjacent tissues and 16 specimen of normal liver tissues. Statistical analysis was used to determine the relationship between their expressions and clinicopathological parameters.      Results    There was no significant difference in RKIP mRNA expression levels among HCC

adjacent tissues and normal liver tissues (P0.05). The expression levels of RKIP protein (22.2%) and P-RKIP protein (29.2%) in tumor tissues were significantly lower than those in adjacent tissues (86％

84％) and normal liver tissues (93.8％

93.8％) (P0.05). The protein expressions of RKIP and P-RKIP were significantly lower in HCC with intrahepatic or lymphatic metastasis than that without respectively. In moderately and well differentiated HCC

both RKIP and P-RKIP positive  rates were significantly higher than that in poorly differentiated HCC.     Conclusion    The down-regulation of RKIP and P-RKIP protein expressions may serve as a risk marker for HCC development and metastasis.