Objective: To investigate the expression of the long non-coding RNA, maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3), in colorectal cancer tissues and its relation with tumor angiogenesis. Methods: The MEG3 expressions in specimens of tumor tissues and their adjacent normal tissues from 42 colorectal cancer patients, as well as in human colon cancer SW48 cells and normal human colon NCM460 cells were determined by RT-PCR, and the relations of MEG3 expression with clinicopathologic factors of the patients were analyzed. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vascular density in above specimens were measured by immunohistochemical staining, and the correlations of MEG3 expression with VEGF expression or vascular density were analyzed. Results: The relative MEG3 expression level in colorectal cancer tissue was significantly lower than that in adjacent normal tissue (0.12 vs. 1.00, P=0.003), and in SW48 cells was significantly lower than that in NCM460 cells (0.15 vs. 1.00, P=0.007), and the relative MEG3 expression level showed no significant relation with tumor location, depth of invasion, degree of differentiation and lymph node metastasis of the patients (all P>0.05). In colorectal cancer tissue, both VEGF expression and vascular density were higher than those in cancer adjacent normal tissue (0.13 vs. 0.09; 50.34 vs. 36.57, both P<0.05); the MEG3 expression level was negatively correlated with either the VEGF expression level or vascular density (r=–0.304; –0.342, both P<0.05). VEGF was an independent influential factor for MEG3 level (P=0.005). Conclusion: MEG3 expression is decreased in colorectal cancer tissue, which may probably facilitate VEGF expression and tumor angiogenesis.