Abstract: Objective To investigate the differential expression of somatostatin receptor subtypes（SSTR）and the major subtypes in hepatocellular carcinoma（HCC）. Methods Immunohistochemistry were used to detect protein expressions of SSTR2，3，5 in 50 HCC and 24 normal liver tissue，and SSTR mRNA were detected in 10 HCC tissues by RT-PCR. Results The positive rate of SSTR2，3，5 protein in HCC tissues were 72%，34%，14%，respectively；The expression of SSTR2 in HCC were markedly higher than in non-HCC liver tissues；The positive rate of SSTR2，3，5 mRNA were 100%，80% and 30%，higher than in non-HCC liver tissues. Conclusion The expression of SSTR subtype is higher in HCC than in non-HCC liver tissues. SSTR2 is the main subtypes expressed in HCC tissues.

Key words: Hepatocellular carcinoma, Somatostain receptor, Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR