ObjectiveTo evaluate the prognosis value of oncoprotein metadherin (MTDH) in alpha fetoprotein (AFP)negative hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients following curative hepatectomy. MethodsThe expression of MTDH protein in 152 AFP negative HCC patients underwent curative hepatectomy from 2007 to 2010 in this hospital was detected by immunohistochemical stain. Clinicopathologic data for these patients were analyzed. Survival analysis was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test to compare survival difference. Cox proportional hazard model analysis was used to assess prognostic significance of MTDH in AFP negative HCC patients. ResultsThe rate of MTDH high expression in the AFP negative HCC tissue was 60.53% (92/152). MTDH high expression was associated with tumor diameter (P=0.029), Edmondson grade (P=0.032), microvascular invasion (P=0.024), or tumor recurrence (P=0.014). Univariate and Cox proportional hazard model analysis showed that high expression of MTDH was correlated with the poor survival in AFP negative HCC patients (P=0.002, P=0.017). ConclusionMTDH is an independent predictor for survival in AFP negative HCC patients after curative hepatectomy.