Objective To investigate the association of the expression of CD15 mRNA with the invasion and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the expression of nm23H1 mRNA. Methods In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry methods were used to detect the expression of CD15 mRNA and protein nm23H1 mRNA in HCC.Results In 99 cases of HCC, the positive rate of CD15 mRNA,its protein and nm23H1 mRNA were 38.4%, 36.4% and 76.8%, respectively. The expression of CD15 mRNA was consistent with its protein and negatively correlated with the expression of nm23H1 mRNA. The expression of CD15 mRNA and its protein, nm23H1 mRNA were associated with the invasiveness and metastasis of HCC and the prognosis of HCC patients. Conclusion The detection of CD15 expression could be a new pathological biology index to judge the metastasis and prognosis of HCC.