Objectives To determine the serum levels of adiponectin and ghrelin in patients with colorectal cancer and to explore their correlations. Methods The serum levels of adiponectin and ghrelin in 82 colorectal cancer patients and 30 healthy controls were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and radioimmunoassay. Results The mean level of adiponectin in colorectal cancer patients was obviously lower than that in the controls (5.51±2.33 ng/L vs. 13.96±2.95 ng/L, P<0.0001). The serum adiponectin level in nodal metastasis patients was significantly lower than that in un-metastasis patients (3.62±2.03 ng/L vs. 6.91±5.12 ng/L, P<0.0001). The serum ghrelin levels in patients with colorectal cancer were significant higher than that of controls (156.0±55.1 pmol/L vs. 58.5±25.9 pmol/L, P<0.0001). The serum ghrelin levels in nodal metastasis patients were significantly higher than that in un-metastasis patients (164.8±15.1 pmol/L vs. 93.2±20.9 pmol/L, P<0.0001). There was no correlation between serum adiponection and ghrelin in colorectal cancer patients (r = 0.083, P=0.729). Conclusion The decreased adiponectin and increased ghrelin are obviously related to both outbreak and metastasis of colorectal cancer, it may suggest that the detection of serum adiponectin and ghrelin are significant in both early diagnosis and course of colorectal cancer.