Objective To investigate the correlation between the expression of cytochrome P450c17α enzyme CYP17A1 and androgen receptor (AR) and the clinical pathology of glioma.Methods The two-step immunohistochemical method was used to measure the expression of CYP17A1 and AR proteins in 55 glioma tissue samples and 10 normal brain tissue samples.Results There was a significant difference in the expression of CYP17A1 protein between high-grade gliomas and low-grade ones (χ²=12.034, P<0.05), while there was no expression of CYP17A1 protein in normal brain tissue samples. The expression of CYP17A1 protein was positively correlated with pathological grade (r=0.705, P<0.05). There was a significant difference in the expression of AR protein between high-grade gliomas and low-grade ones (χ²=19.509, P<0.05), while there was no expression of AR protein in normal brain tissue samples. The expression of AR protein was positively correlated with pathological grade (r=0.73, P<0.05).Conclusions Glioma tissues have significantly higher expression of CYP17A1 and AR proteins than normal brain tissues, and the expression of CYP17A1 and AR proteins in glioma tissues are correlated with pathological grade, which suggests that the androgen axis plays an important role in the development and progression of glioma.