Abstract: ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of ULK1 in gastric cancer tissues and its clinical significance. 
MethodsFrom Jan 2013 to Dec 2013， 145 cases of gastric cancer and 50 cases of adjacent tissues were enrolled， and the expression of ULK1 in the above tissues was detected by immunohistochemical SP method. The relationship of its expression and clinicopathological parameters as well as prognosis were analyzed. 
ResultsThe positive expression of ULK1 in gastric cancer and adjacent tissues were 80％ （116／145） and 16％ （8／50）， respectively， with statistical difference （P＜0.05）. The expression of ULK1 was correlated with invasion depth， differentiation degree， lymph node invasion， TNM stage， recurrence and metastasis （P＜0.05）， but not with age， invasion of vascular， expression of HER2 and p53 （P＞005）. The median overall survival of patients with ULK1 negative， weakly positive and positive expression was 448 months （95％CI：40.5-49.2 months） and 427 months （95％CI：39.9-45.6 months） and 377 months （95％CI：33.0-42.4 months）， and the difference was statistically significant （P=0.007）. ConclusionULK1 is highly expressed in gastric cancer tissues， and there is a poor prognosis in patients with ULK1 positive expression. ULK1 may be involved in the occurrence and development of gastric cancer， and is one of the prognostic indicators of gastric cancer.

Key words: Gastric cancer, ULK1, Clinicopathological features, Prognosis