Objective: To study the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins and explore the relationships between them and apoptosis in gastric carcinoma and precancerous lesions. Methods: TUNEL method was used to detect apoptosis and im- munohistochemical staining method was used to detect the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in 70 cases of chronic gastritis, 49 cases of intestinal metaplasia, 64 cases of dysplasia and 81 cases of gastric carcinoma. Results: The positive incidences of Bcl-2 and Bax were the highest in severe dysplasia. In intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia, positive incidences of Bcl-2 and Bax were higher than those in chronic gastritis and gastric carcinoma. During the process of evolvement from chronic gastritis to intestinal metaplasia then to dysplasia, apoptosis indexes gradually rise up to mid-high dysplasia, which reached the highest point, then it began to fall down, when it reached the lowest point in gastric carcinoma. There were nega- tive correlations between the expressions of Bcl-2, Bax proteins and apoptosis. Conclusion: The expression of Bcl-2 may be an early behavior in the gastric carcinogenesis. Bax had antagonistic effect to Bcl-2. Detections of Bcl-2 and Bax may be beneficial to the early diagnosis of gastric tumor and precancerous lesions. Objective: To study the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins and explore the relationships between them and apoptosis in gastric carcinoma and precancerous lesions. Methods: TUNEL method was used to detect apoptosis and im- munohistochemical staining method was used to detect the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in 70 cases of chronic gastritis, 49 cases of intestinal metaplasia, 64 cases of dysplasia and 81 cases of gastric carcinoma. Results: The positive incidences of Bcl-2 and Bax were the highest in severe dysplasia. In intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia, positive incidences of Bcl-2 and Bax were higher than those in chronic gastritis to gastric gasplasia, to dysplasia, apoptosis index gradually rising up to mid-high dysplasia, which reached the highest point, then it began to fall down, when it reached the lowest point in gastric carcinoma. There were nega- tive correlations between the expressions of Bcl-2, Bax proteins and apoptosis. Conclusion: The expression of Bcl-2 may early behavior in the gastric carcinogenesis. Bax had antagonistic effect to Bcl-2. Detections of Bcl-2 and Bax may be beneficial to the early diagnosis of gastric tumor and precancerous lesions.