Objective:To explore an anti-apoptosis factor Bcl-xl expression and its relationships with clinical pathological characteristics, expression of estrogen and progestogen receptors in breast cancer. Methods:S-P immunohistochemical technique was used to detect the anti-apoptosis factor Bcl-xl expression and its relationships with tumor clinical pathological characteristics as well as expression of estrogen and progestogen receptors in 32 invasive breast cancer tissues, 32 tissues adjacent to cancer, 28 normal and 28 hyperplastic breast tissues. Results:Compared with the tissue adjacent to cancer, hyperplastic and normal breast tissues, Bcl-xl was over-expressed in breast cancer tissue (P＜0.01). Bcl-xl expression in breast cancer tissue increased with the elevation of clinical staging and histological grading (P＜0.05 or P＜0.01). Its positive expression was higher in the breast cancer tissue with lymphatic metastasis than that in the breast cancer tissue without lymphatic metastasis (P＜0.01). Additionally, Bcl-xl expression in breast cancer tissue was negatively associated with the expression of estrogen receptors (ER) and progestogen receptors (PR) (P＜0.05). Conclusion: Bcl-xl expression in breast cancer tissue is associated with tumor staging, histological grading, presence or absence of lymphatic metastasis as well as ER and PR expression, which is of great importance in the occurrence and progression of breast cancer.