【Abstract】Objective To explore the changes of expression of AFP mRNA in human hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） tissues after oral Xeloda therapy.Methods Total RNA was extracted from HCC tissue samples collect after operation and nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction （RT-nested PCR） assay was performed to determine the expression of AFP mRNA in this study.Results The final product of AFP mRNA amplified by RT-PCR was 174 bp and by RT-nested PCR was 101 bp. The AFP mRNA is positive in 12 of 21 patients (positive rate 57.14%) amplified by RT-nested PCR assay in Xeloda treatment group which is much lower than control group: 18 of 20 patients (positive rate 90.00%),P＜0.05.The serum AFP value of Xeloda treatment group 〔(23.2±12.8) μg/L〕 is much lower than that of control group 〔(39.6±24.3) μg/L〕 four weeks after operation (P＜0.05). However, There was no difference between two groups in serum AFP value before operation.Conclusion Xeloda can effectively suppress the expression of AFP mRNA in human HCC tissues and lower it’s product serum AFP value.The clinical application of Xeloda in HCC patients deserve further study.