OBJECTIVE： To observe the efficacy of capecitabine combined with cisplatin in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer and its effect on invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer. METHODS： 94 patients with advanced gastric cancer were randomly divided into control group（47 cases） and observation group（47 cases）. Control group received 65-75 mg/m2 Docetaxel injection， d1， continuous intravenous infusion of 2 h+15-20 mg/m2 Cisplatin for injection， d1-5， continuous intravenous infusion of 2 h in the dark. Observation group received 1 000 mg/m2 Capecitabine tablet， orally， twice a day+Cisplatin for injection（the same usage and dosage with control group）. 3-week was regarded as a treatment course， and it lasted 3 courses. Clinical efficacy， matrix metalloproteinase -2 （MMP-2） and MMP-9 levels were observed， 6 and 12 months survival rate and incidence of adverse reactions were followed-up. RESULTS： There was no significant difference in the total effective rate in 2 groups （P＞0.05）. Grade 1-2 liver dysfunction， thrombocytopenia， and the incidence of nausea and vomiting in observation group were significantly lower than control group， 6 and 12 months survival rates were significantly higher than control group， the differences were statistically significant （P＜0.05）. Before treatment， There was no significant difference in MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels in 2 groups （P＞0.05）. After treatment， MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels in 2 groups were significantly lower than before， and observation group was lower than control group， the differences were statistically significant （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS： The efficacy of capecitabine combined with cisplatin is similar to docetaxel combined with cisplatin in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer， but docetaxel combined with cisplatin is superior in terms of reducing MMP-2 and MMP-9 and safety.