The chemokine receptor CXCR4 is associated with the staging of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: CXCR4 is a cognitive receptor for stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and has been previously shown to be associated with tumor growth and invasion of many cancers. However, its expression and function in gastric cancer has not been well clarified. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Herein, we studied the expression of CXCR4 on gastric samples from patients with gastric adenocarcinoma in comparison with precancerous lesions by employing qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Our qRT-PCR data show that CXCR4 is highly expressed in tissue samples from patients with gastric cancer than precancerous lesions (2.4 times higher, P value < 0.05). When we correlated the level of CXCR4 with clinicopathological findings, we observed that CXCR4 level is associated with staging of the disease and lymphatic invasion. IN CONCLUSION: We present evidence that CXCR4 level is significantly elevated in later stages of gastric cancer. Thus, CXCR4 may play a crucial role in gastric cancer progression.