title: Can expression of CXCL12 and CXCR4 be used to predict survival of gastric cancer patients?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Currently, there is no effective therapy for advanced gastric cancer. In this study, we investigated whether protein expression of CXCL12 and/or its receptor CXCR4 is associated with clinicopathological features and/or survival of gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary tumor specimens from patients (n=137) with pathologically-confirmed gastric cancer, collected between 2001 and 2009, were analyzed by immunohistochemistry using anti-CXCL12 and anti-CXCR4 antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Expression of CXCL12 was directly associated with tumor differentiation (p=0.0143) but inversely associated with depth of invasion (p=0.0255), lymphatic invasion (p=0.0173), venous invasion (p=0.0022) and stage (p=0.049). Expression of CXCR4 was associated with depth of invasion (p=0.005) and stage (p=0.028). Increased CXCR4 expression, but not CXCL12 expression, was associated with 5-year cancer-specific survival (p=0.0079).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CXCL12 was not associated with survival. Positive CXCR4 expression in gastric carcinoma was significantly associated with poor survival and, therefore, may be a potential biomarker for predicting poor survival.
authors: Department of Surgery I, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan satomura@dokkyomed.ac.jp.
authors: Hitoshi
authors: H
authors: Satomura
authors: Department of Surgery I, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
authors: Kinro
authors: K
authors: Sasaki
authors: Department of Surgery I, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
authors: Masanobu
authors: M
authors: Nakajima
authors: Department of Surgery I, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
authors: Satoru
authors: S
authors: Yamaguchi
authors: Department of Surgery I, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
authors: Shinichi
authors: S
authors: Onodera
authors: Department of Surgery I, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
authors: Kichiro
authors: K
authors: Otsuka
authors: Department of Surgery I, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
authors: Masakazu
authors: M
authors: Takahashi
authors: Department of Surgery I, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
authors: Hiroto
authors: H
authors: Muroi
authors: Department of Surgery I, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
authors: Yosuke
authors: Y
authors: Shida
authors: Department of Surgery I, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
authors: Hideo
authors: H
authors: Ogata
authors: Department of Surgery I, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
authors: Kentaro
authors: K
authors: Okamoto
authors: Department of Surgery I, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Kato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12 / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4 / Q000032:analysis*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C515255:CXCL12 protein, human; C527276:CXCR4 protein, human; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4
keywords: CXCL12; CXCR4; gastric carcinoma; immunohistochemistry