Abstract: Objective 　To investigate the relationship of the expressions of chemokine receptor CXCR4 with metastasis and it s clinical significance in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) . Methods 　The ex pression of CXCR4 mRNA in seven NPC cell lines was detected by Real2time reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT2PCR), and immuno2 histochemist ry was used to detect CXCR4 expression in a tissue array composed with nasopharynx epithelium (NE), NPC and lymphatic metastasis of NPC. Results 　CXCR4 mRNA was highly expressed in 528F cell line, which tumorigenic and high metastatic ability, lowly ex pressed in 6210B cell line with tumorigenic, lacking metastatic ability, and moderately in C66621, CNE2 1, CEN22, HONE21 and HNE21. The expression of CXCR4 protein was significantly differential among the NE, NPC and lymphatic metastasis of NPC ( P = 0. 002) . CXCR4 was higher expressed in carcinoma compared with NE ( P = 0. 029) . The CXCR4 expression in NPC with metastasis was higher than that in NPC without metastasis ( P = 0. 008) . Furthermore, CXCR4 expression was significantly st ronger in lym phatic metastasis carcinoma tissues comparison with NPC ( P = 0. 013) . Conclusion 　CXCR4 plays an im portant role in invasion and metastasis of NPC and may be a useful indictor of the tumor metastasis in NPC.