Objective :To investigate the expression of phosphorylated alpha B-crystallin in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) tissues and its significance .Methods : The expression level of phosphorylated alpha B-crystallin in HCC tissues from 403 cases was detected by immunohistochemical staining ,and its correlation with HCC clinicopathologic features and prognosis was analyzed .Results : The expression level of phosphorylate alpha B-crystallin (Ser 59 ) was correlated with tumor size ,tumor encapsulation ,vascular invasion and tissue differentiation ( P < 0 .05 or 0 .01) . However ,it was not correlated with age , gender ,HBsAg ,liver cirrhosis .Multivariate analysis showed that the expression level of phosphorylated alpha B-crystallin (Ser 59 ) was an independent factor for prognosis .Conclusions : The expression level of phosphorylated alpha B-crystallin (Ser 59 ) is correlated with the malignant phenotype and poor prognosis of HCC .