Objective: To investigate the expression of insulin-like growth factor mRNA binding protein 3 (IMP3) in pancreatic cancer tissue and its clinical significance. Methods: The IMP3 expressions in 126 specimens of pancreatic cancer tissue and 12 specimens of normal pancreatic tissue were determined by immunohistochemical staining. The relations of IMP3 expression with clinicopathologic factors and prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients were analyzed. Results: The IMP3 positive expression rate in pancreatic cancer tissue was significantly higher than that in normal pancreatic tissue (93.65% vs. 0.00%, P<0.000). The IMP3 expression was significantly associated with the tumor size, lymph-node metastasis, depth of invasion and TNM stage of the pancreatic cancer patients (all P<0.05); the median survival time in patients with high IMP3 expression was significantly shorter than that in patients with low IMP3 expression (9.5 months vs. 17.8 months, P=0.000). Conclusion: IMP3 expression rate is increased in pancreatic cancer tissue, and its expression level may be closely related to the occurrence and development of pancreatic cancer. Further, those patients with high IMP3 expression may face a poor prognosis.