Abstract: The anticancer activities of three stilbenes on melanoma HSC-1were studied. Trans-4',5-dihydroxy-3-methoxy-diphenylthene, trans-4',3,5-trihydroxy-diphenylthene(resveratrol) shows significant inhibiting proliferation effects on HSC-1 in a concentration-and time-dependent manner except trans-4'-dihydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy-diphenylthene (pterostilbene). The apoptosis of HSC-1 was significantly increased and the cell cycles were altered by the treatments of trans-4',5-dihydroxy-3-methoxy-diphenylthene and resveratrol with the concentration of IC₅₀ by 72 h(p<0.001). The cell counts of G0/G1 increased obviously (p<0.001) and G0/G1,S,G2/M reduced (p<0.01). The results show that trans-4',5-dihydroxy-3-methoxy-diphenylthene and resveratrol inhibit cancer cell growth in vitro via inducing apoptosis and blocking cell cycles.