Objective To investgate the expression and the clinical significance of survivin in the primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods S-P immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of survivin in 50 samples of HCC tissue and 20 of normal liver tissue. Results The positive rate of survivin expression in HCC was 66. 0% (33/50) , which was significantly higher than that in normol liver tissues (negative expression) (P<0. 001). The expression of survivin was correlated with intrahepatic dissemination and multiple masses (P = 0. 019, P=0. 030). The high survivin expression was associated with the survival time less than three years(P = 0. 018). Conclusion The survivin may play certain roles in the oncogenesis and progression of HCC. Detection of the survivin can supply certain evidence on prognosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma.