Elevated expression of CXCL16 correlates with poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer

Aims: To examine the expression of CXCL16 in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue and to clarify the relationships between CXCL16 and clinicopathological features and survival in CRC. Methods: A total of 142 consecutive CRC patients undergoing colorectal surgery at the Department of Gastrointestinal Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, between January 2010 and December 2010 were enrolled in this study. CXCL16 was measured by immunohistochemical staining in CRC tissue. Association between CXCL16 expression and clinicopathologic parameters was analyzed with a chi-square test. Survival curves were calculated by the Kaplan–Meier method, and the differences between CXCL16 high- and low-expression groups were analyzed using the log-rank test. Cox univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine risk factors for overall survival (OS). Results: CXCL16 expression was elevated in CRC. CXCL16-positive expression was significantly related to tumor size (P=0.043), tumor differentiation (P=0.046) and distant metastasis (P=0.038), and there was a trend toward lymph node metastasis (P=0.070). CXCL16 expression, together with differentiation, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis, was a significant independent prognostic factor for OS of patients with CRC (HR 2.026, 95% CI 1.128–3.640, P=0.018). Conclusion: CXCL16 expression was enhanced in CRC tissue and was negatively correlated with survival in CRC patients. Furthermore, CXCL16-positive expression was an independent prognostic factor for CRC patients, whilst the underlying mechanisms remain unclear; thus, further studies are needed.