Various genomic and epigenetic modifications that occur during the development of cancer act as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment. Previous studies have demonstrated abnormal expression of the claudin (CLDN) tight junction (TJ) proteins in numerous types of human cancer. Reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were employed to investigate variations in the expression of the CLDN TJ proteins in laryngeal non‑neoplastic tissues and laryngeal squamous carcinoma tissues. It was revealed that CLDN2, CLDN4, CLDN5, CLDN6, CLDN9, CLDN11 and CLDN12 were undetectable in laryngeal squamous carcinoma tissues and laryngeal non‑neoplastic tissues. Additionally, CLDN10 was expressed in laryngeal squamous carcinoma tissues and laryngeal non‑neoplastic tissues; however, no significant difference was reported. Conversely, the expression levels of CLDN1 and CLDN7 mRNA and protein were downregulated in laryngeal squamous carcinoma tissues compared with in adjacent non‑neoplastic tissues, whereas those of CLDN3 and CLDN8 were upregulated. A total of 80 samples of laryngeal squamous carcinoma and non‑neoplastic tissues were analyzed for the expression of CLDN1, ‑3, ‑7 and ‑8 via streptavidin‑peroxidase immunohistochemical staining. It was revealed that the expression levels of CLDN1 and CLDN7 were downregulated in laryngeal squamous carcinoma tissues compared with in non‑neoplastic mucosal tissues, whereas those of CLDN3 and CLDN8 were upregulated. Furthermore, the associations between CLDN expression and the clinicopathological factors of patients were analyzed. The expression levels of CLDN3 and CLDN7 were reported to be associated with distant metastasis and serve as potential predictors of poor prognosis. In conclusion, the findings of the present study demonstrated that the expression levels of CLDN1, ‑3, ‑7 and ‑8 varied between laryngeal squamous carcinoma tissues and non‑neoplastic tissues. The expression levels of these CLDNs may be useful molecular markers for the diagnosis of laryngeal carcinoma, and determining the metastasis and prognosis of this disease.