To investigate the expression and clinical significance of metastasis suppressor gene and matrix metalloproteinase-2 in esophageal squamous cell of carcinoma. choose 30 cases of specimens of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma which are removed in surgery and confirmed by pathology and 30 cases of specimens of normal esophageal mucosa. Use immunohistochemistry SP method to detect the expression of nm23-H1, MMP-2 protein in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and normal esophageal mucosal. The positive rate of nm23-H1 protein in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was 43.3% (13/30), while that in normal esophageal mucosa was 100% (30/30), which has a significant difference between them (χ2=22. 083, P<0.05). The positive rate of MMP-2 protein in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was 90.0% (27/30), while that in normal esophageal mucosa was 33.3% (10/30), and there is a significant difference between them (χ2=28. 370, P<0.05); For the expression of nm23-H1 and MMP-2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, there was nothing to do with sex, age and tumor size (P>0.05), but it was related to the degree of tumor differentiation, depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05); The expression of nm23-H1 is related to the cut end of residual cancer (P<0.05), while the expression of MMP-2 has nothing to do with the cut end of residual cancer (P>0.05); The expression of nm23-H1 and MMP-2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was negatively correlated. nm23-H1 and MMP-2 have played a role in the development of esophageal cancer, which can promote the occurence of distant metastasis; The loss of expression of nm23-H1 may be related to cut end residual cancer; nm23-H1 and MMP-2 may be as an indicator for esophageal cancer metastasis and prognosis.