Objective To study the relationship between the expression of cytochrome c ( Cyt c) and programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) in pancreatic cancer, and investigate the pathway of PDCD4 inducing the apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells. Methods Pancreatic cancer specimens from 69 patients who received pancreatic resection from 1990 to 2002 in First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University were collected. The expression of Cyt c in the 69 paraffin specimens of pancreatic cancer was detected by immunohistochemistry, and the expression of Cyt c in 8 samples of cold-preserved fresh pancreatic cancer and normal pancreatic tissues were detected by Western blot. The expression of PDCD4 and Cyt c in pancreatic cancer was analyzed by paired t test and chi-square test. Results Compared with normal pancreatic tissues, the expression of Cyt c in pancreatic cancer was significantly decreased. The positive expression rate of Cyt c in 69 samples of pancreatic cancer was 41% (28/69). The expression of Cyt c was positive in most patients with positive expression of PDCD4, and the expression of PDCD4 was negative in most patients with negative expression of Cyt c. The expression of PDCD4 and Cyt c was closely correlated with each other (χ2= 10.52, P < 0.05). Conclusions There is a close relationship between the expression of PDCD4 and Cyt c in pancreatic cancer. PDCD4 may induce the apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells through mitochondrial pathway.