Objective      To investigate the expression and significance of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and transcription factors Gli1 and Gli2 in gastric cancer (GC).       Methods      Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of hTERT

and Gli1 and Gli2 proteins in 72 cases of GC tissues and their adjacent tissues. The correlation between hTERT and Gli1

Gli2 expression with the clinicopathological features of GC was further analyzed.       Results      The expression of hTERT and Gli1

Gli2 protein was significantly higher in GC than in their adjacent tissues (P0.05). The expression level of hTERT was positively correlated with those of Gli1 and Gli2 in GC (r=0.502 2

r=0.624 6

P0.05). The expression level of hTERT

Gli1 and Gli2 was correlated with tumor lymph metastasis (P0.05). The patients with higher expression of hTERT and Gli1 or high expression of hTERT and Gli2 had shorter survival time

especially for those with higher expression of the 3 proteins (P0.05).       Conclusion      hTERT and Gli1 as well as Gli2 are all highly expressed in GC. Joint detection of the 3 proteins may have a certain significance in predicting the metastasis and prognosis of gastric cancer patients.