Objective:To investigate the number of CD+68 cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),paraneoplastic tissues,cirrhosis tissues and normal liver tissues and their clinical significance.Methods:Surgical specimens from 60 cases of HCC,62 cases of cirrhosis and 23 cases of normal liver were investigated by immunohistochemical staining of CD+68with streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase detective system.Results:(1)The order of the mean number of CD+68cells in the tissues from the highest to the lowest was:paraneoplastic,cirrhosis,normal liver and HCC tissues(P〈0.01);(2)The number of CD+68cells in the tissues decreased successively with the decrease of HCC differentiation (P〈0.05);(3)There was no relationship between the number of CD+68cells in HCC and its clinical TNM stage;(4)The number of CD+68cells in the cases with metastasis within 15 months was significantly lower than that without metastasis (P〈0.05).Conclusion:The number of CD+68cells might be an important marker to estimate the immune status and a useful factor to predict the prognosis of HCC patients.