We attempted to correlate the expression of human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR) and tumor infiltration by S-100-protein-positive dendritic cells with clinicopathologic features in 165 patients with gastric cancer. The expression of HLA-DR was correlated with the histologic type. Infiltration of dendritic cells correlated negatively with distant lymph node metastases, clinical stage, and peritoneal invasion. There was no correlation between the expression of HLA-DR and infiltration by dendritic cells. In patients with resectable gastric cancer, the grade of infiltrating dendritic cells may be a suitable predictor of prognosis.