Objective To investigate the expression of Livin in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and its associations with carcinogenesis, progression and prognosis. Methods Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of Livin in 117 cases of LSCC and 20 controls of normal mucous membrane of palatoglossal pillar. Comparisons of the results with the clinical and follow-up data were conducted. Results ① Livin expression was detected in 61.5% (72/117) cases of LSCC and negative in all normal mucous membrane of palatoglossal pillars. A significant difference was observed between the two groups (P<0.05). ② The positive rate of Livin expression was markedly associated with the course of disease, clinical stage and lymph node metastasis status respectively (P<0.05). However, no associations of Livin expression with age, position and histological grades were observed (P>0.05). ③ Multivariate cox proportional hazards model analysis demonstrated that clinical stage, lymph node metastasis and expression of Livin in LSCC were independent predictive factors in laryngeal cancer recurrence. Conclusion The elevated expression of Livin in LSCC might play an important role in the carcinogenesis of LSCC and its progression. Elevated expression of Livin in LSCC may predict the prognosis.