Objective:To investigate the expression and clinical significance of MMP-14 in gastric carcinoma and its role in peritoneal metastasis. Methods:The mRNA expression of MMP-14 in peritoneal washing samples were deteced by RT-PCR in gastric carcinoma(98 cases) and normal control(30 cases). Immunohistochemical staining S-P method was used to detect the expression of MMP-14 in gastric carcinoma(98 cases) and normal gastric mucosa(20 cases). Results:The expression rates of MMP-14 were 76.5%(58/98) in gastric cancer tissues and 5%(1/20)in normal gastric mucosa tissues,which were significantly higher than those in the normal tissues respectively (P < 0.01). The MMP-14 mRNA positive rate of peritoneal washing samples in gastric cancer was higher than that in normal control. The positive expression rate of MMP14 was related to the depth of invasion,the size of tumor,lymph node metastasis,macroscopic type and clinial stage (P < 0.05,0.01),but not related to age,gender and differentiation of tumor(P > O.05). Conclusion:The high expression of MMP-14 in gastric carcinoma and peritoneal washing samples suggests that MMP-14 may be involved in the development of gastric cancer and peritoneal metastasis process.