Objective To investigate the differences in human epidermal factor receptor 2(HER-2)expression between urothelial bladder carcinoma(UBC)and upper tract urothelial carcinoma(UTUC)and the relationship between HER-2 expression and disease recurrence and progression.Methods Clinical data of 184 patients with urothelial carcinoma admitted in our hospital during Nov.2015 and Jun.2022 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into UBC group and UTUC group.The positive expression rate of HER-2,recurrence-free survival(RFS)and progression-free survival(PFS)of the two groups were compared,and the survival curve was drawn.The effects of HER-2 expression on the recurrence and progression of disease were analyzed with Cox proportional hazards model.Results The positive expression of HER-2 was significantly higher in UBC patients than in UTUC patients(49.6％vs.32.2％,P=0.027).Among UTUC patients,there was no statistically significant difference in the positive expression of HER-2 in those with renal pelvis cancer and ureteral cancer(30.6％vs.34.8％,P＞0.05).Cox analysis showed that HER-2 positive expression affected UBC recurrence(P＜0.001),but had no effects on the recurrence and progression of UTUC;HER-2 positive expression(P＜0.001),tumor diameter ≥3 cm(P＜0.001),stage ≥T2(P=0.003)and multiple tumor foci(P=0.033)affected the progression of UBC.Conclusion The positive expression of HER-2 is significantly higher in UBC than in UTUC,which can increase the risk of recurrence and progression of UBC,but has no significant effects on the recurrence and progression of UTUC.HER-2 expression is not recommended to independently predict the risk of recurrence and progression of UTUC.