The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 26 (MMP-26), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-4 (TIMP-4) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and their correlations with pathogenesis and development of DLBCL. A total of 95 specimens excised from DLBCL patients were prepared. Expression of MMP-26, TIMP-4 and MMP-9 were tested by SABC immunohistochemistry method and its correlation to clinicopathology indexes were analyzed. The results showed that as compared with reactive hyperplasia of lymph nodes, the high expression of MMP-26, TIMP-4 and MMP-9 were found in different types of DLBCL. The positive expression rate of MMP-26 was related to immune typing (P < 0.05). The expression level of MMP-26 in GCB was lower than that in non-GCB, and did not relate to clinical staging, age, sex, diseased region (P > 0.05). The positive expression rate of MMP-9 was related to clinical staging, the positive expression rate of MMP-9 proteins in patient at III and IV stage was obviously higher than that in patients at I and II stage, but did not relate to immune type, age, sex and diseased region of DLBCL (P > 0.05). The expression of TIMP-4 did not relate to immune type, clinical stage, age, sex, disease region (P > 0.05). The expression of MMP-26 in pathologic tissue of DLBCL did not relate to expression of TIMP-4, but positively related to expression of MMP-9 protein (r = 0.486, P < 0.05). It is concluded that MMP-26 and MMP-9 synergically express in DLBCL. MMP-26 may be involve in pathogenesis and invasiveness of DLBCL, the expression of MMP-26 relates to subtypes of DLBCL. The MMP-26 may serve as an indicator for typing of DLBCL and contributes to predict the invasion and metastasis of DLBCL and itself may become a potential target for therapy.