PIM kinases are mediators of cytokine signalling pathways in hematopoietic cells and contribute to the progression of certain types of leukemia and solid tumor. Here the prognostic impact of proto-oncogene PIM-1 was analyzed in gastric carcinoma.Cancer tissues of 117 patients with potentially curative (R0) resections for gastric cancer were immunohistochemically stained for PIM-1.Cytoplasmic immunoreactivity for PIM-1 in tumor (46%) was higher (p=0.003) compared to that in gastric glands (16%) and foveolae (1%). PIM-1 immunoreactivity in gastric carcinoma correlated with tumor grading (p<0.05) and Laurén category (p<0.02). Overexpression of PIM-1 in gastric glands (p<0.001) was associated with formation of lymph node metastases (p=0.035) and survival (p=0.04). Multivariate analysis of PIM-1 expression in gastric glands confirmed its association with prognosis.Up-regulation of PIM-1 oncogene might be a tumor marker for gastric cancer. The correlation of PIM-1 overexpression in gastric glands with formation of lymph node metastases and survival proposes a prognostic role in gastric cancer.