Objective To investigate the expression and prognostic significance of p27kip1 in patients with stage I and Ⅱ colorectal carcinoma ( CRC). Methods We retrospectively analyzed the expression of p27kip1 by immunohistochemistry in paraffin-embedded specimens from 114 consecutive patients operated for stage I and Ⅱ CRC. Statistical analysis was done with SPSS10. 0 package. Results The rate of p27kip1 over-expression in stage I and ⅡCRC was 85. 1 % (97/114). The expression of p27kip1 was statistically associated with TNM stage and histologic grade, while there was no significant relationship between p27kip1 expression and patient's age, tumor location. The 5-year disease free survival rate of the patients with p27kip1 over-expression was significantly higher than those with p27kip1 low-expression (88. 4% vs. 52. 9% , P