Objective To detect the expression of thromhospondin-1 （TSP-1） in gastric cancer and metastaticlymph node tissues， and to study its relationship of TSP-1 to clinicopathologic parameters or tumor angiogenesis. Methods The TSP-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） expressions and microvessel density （MVD） were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 72 specimens obtained by gastric resection from patients with gastric cancer， including corres-ponding adjacent normal gastric mucosa tissues （distant from cancer ≥5 cm） and lymph nodes surrounding cancer. A semiquantitative scoring system was used for evaluating the staining. The relationship of TSP-1 to VEGF expression， MVD， or clinicopathologic parameters was analyzed. Results ① TSP-1 positive expression rate was 45.8% （33/72） in the primary gastric cancer tissues， 90.3% （65/72） in the corresponding adjacent normal gastric mucosa tissues， and 50.8% （30/59） in the metastatic lymph nodes tissues. The expressions of TSP-1 in the primary gastric cancer tissues and metastatic lymph nodes tissues were significantly lower than those in the adjacent normal gastric mucosa tissues （χ2=32.710，P=0.000；χ2=25.298， P=0.000）. The expression of TSP-1 had no statistical significance in the primary gastric cancer tissues as compared with in the metastatic lymph nodes tissues （χ2=0.327， P=0.568）. ② The expression of TSP-1 in the metastatic lymph nodes tissues was significantly lower than that in the non-metastatic lymph nodes tissues （Z=-2.573， P=0.010）. ③The expression of TSP-1 in the primary gastric cancer tissues and metastatic lymph nodes tissues suggested a negative correlation with VEGF （rs=-0.309， P=0.008；rs=-0.269， P=0.040） and MVD （rs=-0.348， P=0.003；rs=-0.272， P=0.037）. Conclusions TSP-1 expression is down-regulated and has a negative correlation with VEGF and MVD in the primary gastric cancer and the metastatic lymph nodes tissues. According to the present results， it seems likely that TSP-1 is a tumor angiogenesis inhibitor.