Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of serum and hepatic tissue Golgi protein 73 (GP73) and phosphatidy- linositol proteinglycan 3 (GPC3) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods:The peripheral serum and tissue samples from 70 individuals were collected,including 39 HCC patients and 31 cirrhotic patients. The expression levels of serum GP73 and GPC3 were detected by ELISA;the expression levels of tissue GPC3 mRNA and GP73 mRNA were measured by RT-PCR. The differences of GP73 and GPC3 expression between liver cancer group and cirrhosis group were observed. The correlation between GP73 and GPC3 expression and clinical stage of HCC was analyzed,and the correlation between GP73 and GPC3 expression and pathological grade of HCC was also analyzed. Results:The expression level of serum GP73 and GPC3 from the HCC patients was significantly higher than those from the cirrhotic group (P < 0.001). The GPC3 value for the cutting off was 9.3 μg/L,the sensitivity was 89.74%,the specificity was 96.77%,the positive predictive value was 97.20%,and the negative predictive value was 88.20%. The GP73 value for the cutting off was 77.68 ng/ml,the sensitivity was 92.31%,the specificity was 83.87%,the positive predictive value was 87.80%,and the negative predictive value was 89.70%. The expression levels of GP73 and GPC3 in HCC patients show no statistic difference between age,gender,tumor size and clinical stage;nevertheless,the expression level of GPC3 in HCC patients seemed to be correlated with tumor pathological grade. Conclusion:Over expression of liver GPC3 and GP73 were associated with HCC,and quantitative detection of serum GPC3 and GP73,which were more sensitive than AFP,should be a useful marker for diagnosis of HCC.