Objective: To examine E1AF mRNA expression and to determine whether it is correlated with tumor progression and matrilysin in human rectal cancer. Methods: Real-time RT-PCR was used to determine E1AF and matrilysin expression in 100 matched rectal cancers and normal tissues. Results: Among the 100 rectal cancers, 69 cases of E1AF mRNA overexpression were observed. E1AF mRNA overexpression correlated well with matrilysin. In carcinomas, E1AF mRNA overexpression correlated significantly with depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, venous involvement and advanced pTNM stage. Conclusions: E1AF was correlated significantly with tumor progression of human rectal cancer and may be an important factor in rectal cancer progression. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG.