The invention discloses a C18orf8 gene taken as a diagnosis and treatment target for hypopharyngeal carcinoma. A C18orf8 gene in a hypopharyngeal tissue of a subject and the content of an expression product of the C18orf8 gene are detected to judge whether the subject suffers hypopharyngeal carcinoma or whether the subject has the risk of suffering hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Moreover, indexes, such as propagation, migration and invasion, of hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells are studied through in-vitro cultivation to prove that the C18orf8 gene can be used as a medicine target for treating hypopharyngeal carcinoma.