ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of adrenomedullin (ADM) in human liver cancer and to evaluate its clinical signigicance. MethodsA total of 54 patients with liver cancer who underwent surgery between January 2012 and November 2013 and another 18 benigh tissue samples were selected. Immuohistochemical staining (SP staining) was performed to detect the expression of ADM in liver cancer, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was applied to determine the concentration of ADM in the patients and controls, and the relationship was retrospectively analyzed between the expression of ADM in liver cancer and the clinicobiological features. Besides, 60 inpatients with liver cancer and 40 health people under went physical examination between January and June 2013 were selected, whose expression of ADM in plasma was deteced. ResultsThe expression of ADM in liver cancer was significantly higher than that in the normal tissues (P<0.01). There was a significant relationship between the expression of ADM and the differentiation grade in liver cancer (P<0.05), and there was no relationship between the expression of ADM and age, histological type and American Joint Committen on Cancer (AJCC) stage (P>0.05). The expression of ADM in the plasma in liver cancer group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). There was a significant relationship between the expression of ADM in the plasma and AJCC stage (P<0.05). ConclusionThe expression of ADM significantly increases in patients with liver cancer, which is associated with the differentiation grades of the liver cancer. ADM may play an important role in the occurrence and development of liver cancer.