Objective: To detect plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in gastric carcinoma patients with liver metastasis and investigate its significance in chemotherapy. Methods: Plasma levels of VEGF in 43 gastric cancer patients and 20 superficial gastritis patients were detected by ELISA test. Results: Plasma levels of VEGF in gastric carcinoma patients were found to be higher than those in gastritis patients. The plasma levels of VEGF in complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) gastric cancer patients decreased significantly after chemotherapy(P < 0.05). However,the plasma VEGF did not differ significantly in stable disease(SD) gastric cancer patients although they were given the same treatment. In progressive disease(PD) patients,the plasma VEGF increased after the treatment. Conclusion: The plasma VEGF level determined by ELISA could be a reference for evaluating the efficacy of treatment and progression of illness for gastric cancer patients with liver metastasis.