In the present study, the expression of a acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 were analyzed in 60 pancreatic cancer samples using Northern blot analysis, immunoblotting, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical techniques. aFGF, bFGF and FGFR-1 were present in 63%, 55% and 52% of the tumor samples, respectively. Twenty-seven of the 60 pancreatic cancer tissue samples exhibited coexpression of aFGF and bFGF. In contrast, 14 of the tumor samples did not show immunoreactivity for aFGF or bFGF in the tumor cells. The expression of aFGF in the tumor cells had no influence on the postoperative survival period, whereas patients whose tumors were positive for bFGF and/or FGF-receptor-1 had significantly shorter postoperative survival periods. Our results suggest that bFGF and FGFR-1 may play a role in the growth behavior of pancreatic cancer and may contribute to tumor aggressiveness.