Abstract: Objective:To study the correlation between nm23 gene expression and the biological behavior in esophageal carcinoma.Methods:The levels of nm23 gene expression were examined by S-P immunohistochemical method in 43 cases with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Results:74.4%(32/43) showed positive staining of nm23 in the lesions.The patients with regional lymph node metastasis showed higher levels of nm23 gene expression than those without metastasis.The expression of nm23 was associated with tumor invasion(P0 05) or the progression of TNM staging(P0 05) or the metastasis of lymph node.Conclusion:The expression of nm23 gene might be a prognostic indicator for advanced esophageal carcinoma,and the over-expression might suggest poor prognosis.