CXCR3 expression as a prognostic factor in gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: CXC chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3) plays a critical role in tumorigenesis, and CXCR3 expression is associated with prognosis in many cancers. Recently, CXCR3 expression is recognized as a potential prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer. In this study, we analyzed the prognostic significance of CXCR3 expression in gastric cancer. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis after selecting eligible studies through a literature search. We calculated pooled results to assess the associations between CXCR3 expression and overall survival (OS) and clinicopathological factors for gastric cancer. RESULTS: The pooled hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) between high expression of CXCR3 and OS was 0.46 (95% CI 0.30–0.71, P<0.001), suggesting that high expression of CXCR3 was associated with a favorable OS. High expression of CXCR3 was significantly correlated with younger age [odds ratio (OR) 0.67, 95% CI: 0.49–0.91, P=0.011], lower tumor grade (OR 0.46, 95% CI: 0.29–0.73, P=0.001), absence of lymph node metastasis (OR 0.47, 95% CI: 0.31–0.71, P<0.001), and lower Tumor-Node-Metastasis stage (OR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.35–0.74, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High expression of CXCR3 was associated with better survival and may be a potential prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer patients.