AIM: To analyze the correlation between the protein expression of p16 and Rb genes in gastric carcinoma (GC),to investigate the role of p16 gene in invasion and lymph node metastasis of GC, and to examine the deletion and mutation in exon 2 of p16 gene in GC.METHODS: The protein expression of p16 and Rb genes was examined by streptavidin-peroxidase conjugated method (S-P) in normal gastric mucosa, dysplastic gastric mucosa and GC. The deletion and mutation of p16 gene were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and polymerase chain reaction single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) respectively in normal gastric mucosa and GC.RESULTS: The positive rates of P16 and Rb protein expression respectively were 96% (77/80) and 99%(79/80) in normal gastric mucosa, 92% (45/50) and 80%(40/50) in dysplastic gastric mucosa, 48% (58/122) and 60% (73/122) in GC. The positive rates of P16 and Rb protein expression in GC were significantly lower than that in normal gastric mucosa and dysplastic gastric mucosa (P＜0.05). The positive rate of P16 protein expression in mucoid carcinoma (10%, 1/10) was significantly lower than that in poorly differentiated carcinoma (51%, 21/41),undifferentiated carcinoma (58%, 15/26) and signet ring cell carcinoma (62%, 10/16) (P＜0.05). The positive rates of P16 protein in 30 cases of paired primary and lymph node metastatic GC were 47% (14/30) and 17% (5/30)respectively, being significantly lower in the later than in the former (P＜0.05). There was no mutation in exon 2 of p16 gene in the 25 freshly resected primary GCs. But five cases in the 25 freshly resected primary GCs displayed deletion in exon 2 of p16 gene. The positive rate of both P16 and Rb proteins was 16% (14/90), and the negative rate of both P16 and Rb proteins was 8% (7/90) in 90GCs. The rate of positive P16 protein with negative Rb protein was 33% (30/90). The rate of negative P16 protein with positive Rb protein was 43% (39/90). There was reverse correlation between P16 and Rb expression in 90GCs (P＜0.05).CONCLUSION; The loss protein expression of p16 and Rb genes is related to GC. The loss expression of P16protein is related to the histopathologic subtypes and lymph node metastasis of GC. Expression of P16 and Rb proteins in GC is reversely correlated. The deletion but not mutation in exon 2 of p16 gene may be involved in GC.