To investigate the role of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13 ) in the development, diagnosis and prognosis of multiple myeloma (MM).Blood samples of 57 MM patients and 45 normal controls were collected, and real-time PCR was performed to detect the MMP-13 mRNA expression level in the study subjects, and the difference of MMP-13 mRNA level between MM patients and normal controls was compared. The correlations of MMP-13 with MM bone disease and its severity, ISS stage, DS stage, and treatment efficacy were analyzed.The MMP-13 mRNA in patients with MM was significantly higher than that in normal controls (P < 0.05). The MMP-13 mRNA in MM patients with bone disease was significantly higher than that in patients without bone disease, and the more severe the bone disease, the more obvious the increase in MMP-13 mRNA (P < 0.05). The MMP-13 gene expression level was also significantly different between ISS and DS stage Ⅰand stage Ⅲ patients (P < 0.05), and the MMP-13 mRNA level was significantly decreased after treatment (P < 0.05).The MMP-13 mRNA expression level is related to the occurrence and development of MM, and it has certain guiding significance in disease diagnosis and prognosis evaluation.