Purpose To investigate the correlation between promoter methylation of RKIP and the clinicopathological features of gastric carcinoma and to analyze the correlation between promoter methylation of RKIP and expression of RKIP. Methods The protein ex-pression and promoter methylation of RKIP were detected in 45 cases of surgically resected gastric carcinoma specimens and 21 cases of corresponding normal tissues using the immunohistchemistry SP method and methylation-specific PCR ( MSP) . Results The positive rate of promoter methylation of RKIP was 48. 89% in gastric carcinoma tissues and 4. 8% in adjacent tissues (P<0. 05). The positive rate of the expression of RKIP protein was 42. 22% in gastric carcinoma tissues and 90. 48% in adjacent tissues (P<0. 05). The pro-tein expression and promoter methylation of RKIP were correlated with the degree of differentiation and lymph node metastasis ( P<0. 05) . Expression of RKIP protein in gastric carcinoma was associated with promoter methylation of RKIP. Conclusions Promoter abnormal methylation of RKIP may be one reason of the deletion of expression of RKIP protein, which correlates with occurrence and development of gastric carcinoma.