Objective:To investigate the number and distribution of macrophages (Mφ) and natural killer(NK) cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), paraneoplastic,cirrhosis and normal liver tissues and their relationship with the prognosis of HCC patients.　Methods:Surgical specimens from 60 cases of HCC, 62 cases of cirrhosis and 23 cases of normal liver tissues were investigated by immunohistochemical staining of CD68 and CD57 with a streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase detective system.The correlation of the number of Mφ and NK cells in different tissues with the clinical tumor parameters was also studied.　Results:①The order of the number of Mφ from the highest to the lowest was:paraneoplastic,cirrhosis, normal, HCC(P<0.05)；and the number of NK cells from the highest to the lowest was:HCC, paraneoplastic, normal, cirrhosis(P<0.05).②The number of Mφ decreased successively with the decrease of the HCC differentiation(P<0.05)；There was no relationship between the number of NK cells in HCC and histological grade. ③There was no relationship between the number of Mφ in HCC and clinical TNM stage ；The number of NK cells in HCC had degressive tendency with the clinical TNM stage(P<0.05). ④The number of Mφ and NK cells in HCC in the cases with metastasis in 15 months was significantly lower than that without metastasis(P<0.05, 0.01）.⑤There was a linear positive correlation between the number of Mφ and NK cells in HCC (r＝0.344, P<0.05).　Conclusion:The number of Mφ and NK cells in HCC in the cases with metastasis is significantly lower than that without metastasis；The number of Mφ has a close correlation with the HCC differentiation, and positive correlation with the number of NK cells；The number of Mφ and NK cells might be important markers to estimate the immune status and useful factors to predict the prognosis of HCC patients.