Objective To explore the relationship between the expression of oncoprotein

proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)

histological type

degree of differentiation

recurrence and metastasis in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Methods Immunohistochemical ABC method was used to study the expression of p53 protein

c-erbB-2 and PCNA in 26 cases of RMS. Results The positive rates of p53

c-erbB-2 and PCNA expression were 76.9%

19.2% and 100% respectively. The positive expression of p53 was not related to RMS histological type (P>0.05)

but to the degree of RMS differentiation

recurrence and metastasis(P<0.05). The positive rate of c-erbB-2 expression was not clearly observed. and not related to RMS histological type

degree of differentiation

recurrence and metastasis. The intensity of PCNA expression was related to recurrence and metastasis. Conclusion The results suggest that p53 and PCNA could reflect the malignant degree of RMS to a certain extent. The expression of p53 and PCNA may be an index to appraise the recurrence and metastasis of RMS.