Objective: To explore the expression and clinical value of carboxy-terminal binding protein 1 (CtBP1) and E-cadherin in liver cancer. Methods: The expression of CtBP1 and E-cadherin in 200 liver cancer tissues and paracancerous tissues were detected by immunohistochemical staining. The relationships between CtBP1, E-cadherin expression and clinicopathological features of liver cancer, as well as the correlations between CtBP1 and E-cadherin in liver cancer were analyzed. Results: The positive expression rate of CtBP1 in liver cancer was significantly higher than that in paracancerous tissues, while the positive expression rate of E-cadherin was significantly lower (P<0.05). The CtBP1 and E-cadherin expression in liver cancer were not related to age, sex and tumor size (P>0.05); but related to TNM stage, differentiation and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). In liver cancer, the CtBP1 expression was negatively correlated with E-cadherin expression (r=-0.102, P<0.05). Conclusions: CtBP1 and E-cadherin are abnormally expressed in liver cancer, and they may have regulatory relationships, so combined detection of CtBP1 and E-cadherin is expected to be an indicator for evaluating the malignant biological behavior of liver cancer.