AIM: To explore the expression and significance of receptor tyrosine kinase anexelekto (Axl) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the Axl protein expression of 78 patients with NPC and 32 patients with nasopharyngeal chronic inflammation (NPI).The correlations between the Axl protein levels and the clinical parameters of NPC patients were analyzed.NPC cells were cultured in vitro, and the expression of Axl in well differentiated CNE1 cells, poorly-differentiated CNE2Z cells and undifferentiated C666-1 cells was detected by immunofluorescence staining.After treatment of the CNE1and C666-1 cells with Axl specific inhibitor TP-0903, CCK-8 assay was used to detect cell viability, flow cytometry was adopted to analyze the cell cycle distribution, qPCR was used to examine the mRNA levels of Axl and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and Western blot was used to examine the protein expression of Axl and p-Axl.RESULTS: Axl protein was localized in the cell membrane and cytoplasm.The rate of high expression of Axl in NPC was significantly higher than that in NPI (P<0.01).High Axl expression showed no correlations with NPC patients'' age, gender and M stage, while positively correlated with the clinical stage, T stage and N stage (P<0.05).Axl protein showed a low level in the CNE1 cells, but showed a high level in CNE2Z and C666-1 cells.TP-0903 inhibited cell viability in concentration and time dependent manners.TP-0903 at 2 nmol/L showed significant inhibitory effects, as evidenced by arresting the cell cycle at G0 phase and reducing Axl activity and PCNA expression.CONCLUSION: High expression of Axl promotes the clinical progress of NPC.TP-0903 significantly inhibits the viability of NPC cells, suggesting that Axl may be a valuable target in the NPC treatment.