Abstract: Objective To discuss the expression of CXCR4 in specimens of nasalsurface basal cell carcinoma, surgical margintissue, and normal skin, then to explore its possible role in the surgical margins of basal cell carcinoma of nasal surface. Methods Specimens of 60 basal cell carcinoma and 30 pieces of normal skin of nasal surface were collected from Jan 2007 to Jan 2009. Immunohistochemical technique (SP) and image analysis were used for detecting the expression of CXCR4 in specimens of pathological negative margin, primary site of carcinoma and normal skin. And its relations to clinicopathological parameters were also analyzed.Results The expression rates of CXCR4 in primary site of carcinoma, pathological negative margin and normal skin were 80.0% (48/60), 33.3% (20/60) and 10.0% (3/30) respectively. The differences of the expression rates between each group were statistically significant (P<0.05). There was a significant correlation between the expression of CXCR4 and the pathological categories (P=0.017). No significant correlation was found between the expression of CXCR4 and age, sex and tumor size. Conclusion The expression of CXCR4 in basal cell carcinoma of nasal surface, surgical margins and normal skin is different. The CXCR4 may play an increasingly important role in establishing surgical margins, which may guide the surgical treatment for this tumor.