Expression of chemokine receptor CXCR4 in esophageal squamous cell and adenocarcinoma (original) (raw)

Expression of CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Oncology Reports, 1994

The chemokine CXCL12, also known as stromal cell-derived factor-1 and its receptor CXCR4 have been shown to play prominent roles in regulating the directional migration and proliferation of various types of cancer cells during the metastatic process. However, few researchers have examined the expression of CXCL12 and CXCR4 and their prognostic value in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We investigated immunohistochemically the relationship between CXCL12 and CXCR4 expression and clinicopathological factors including prognosis in surgical specimens of primary tumors in 214 patients with ESCC. The positive expression rate of CXCL12 was 53.7% and that of CXCR4 was 84.6%. Positive CXCL12 expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis, tumor stage, gender and lymphatic invasion. The overall and disease-free survival rate was significantly lower in patients with positive CXCL12 expression than in those with negative CXCL12 expression. The expression of CXCR4 had no correlation with clinicopathological variables and prognosis. We showed that positive CXCL12 expression was related to a greater degree to tumor development, compared with CXCR4 expression. Evaluation of CXCL12 expression is useful for determining tumor properties, including nodal metastasis and prognosis in patients with ESCC.

ARTICLES Tumor-Cell Homing to Lymph Nodes and Bone Marrow and CXCR4 Expression in Esophageal Cancer

2005

Background: The chemokine and bone marrow-homing receptor CXCR4 has been implicated in metastatic dissemination of various cancers. We investigated CXCR4 expre ssion in esophageal cancer specimens and its association with survival, lymph node microinvolvement, and bone marrow micrometastasis. Methods: We analyzed frozen tumor specimens from 136 patients with completely resected esophageal cancer for CXCR4 expression by immunohistochemistry. Lymph node microinvolvement and bone marrow micrometastasis were assessed by immunohistochemistry with monoclonal anti bodies Ber-EP4 (against epithelial cell adhesion molecule) and pancytokeratin A45-B/B3 (against several cytokeratins), respectively. Associations between CXCR4 expression and clinicopathologic features, including tumor stage, histologic grade, lymph node metastasis and microinvolvement, bone marrow micrometastasis, and survival, were investigated with Fisher's test, log-rank test, and Cox multivariable analysis. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: CXCR4 protein was expressed in 75 (55%) of 136 esophageal tumors examined. CXCR4 expression was statistically signifi cantly associated with reduced median overall and disease-specifi c survival, compared with CXCR4 nonexpression (P <.001; log-rank test). The median overall survival of patients with CXCR4-positive tumors was 20 months and with CXCR4-negative tumors, 76 months (difference = 56 months, 95% confi dence interval [CI] = 4 to 108 months; P <.001). The median disease-specifi c survival of patients with CXCR4-positive tumors was 25 months and with CXCR4negative tumors was 97 months (difference = 72 months, 95% CI = 34 to 110 months; P <.001). CXCR4 expression was statistically signifi cantly associated with increased lymph node microinvolvement (P <.001) and with increased bone marrow micrometastasis (P <.001). In multivariable analysis, CXCR4 expression, compared with its nonexpression, was identifi ed as the independent variable that was most strongly associated with reduced disease-specifi c survival (relative risk [RR] of death = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.20 to 3.41; P = .008) and overall survival (RR of death = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.33 to 3.59; P = .002). Conclusion: CXCR4 expression was associated with poor clinical outcome in esophageal cancer patients. CXCR4 may have a role in early metastatic spread because its expression was associated with micrometastases to both the lymph nodes and bone marrow. Thus, CXCR4 should be explored further as a target for adjuvant therapy for micrometastatic disease.

Tumor-cell homing to lymph nodes and bone marrow and CXCR4 expression in esophageal cancer

Journal of the …, 2005

Background: The chemokine and bone marrow-homing receptor CXCR4 has been implicated in metastatic dissemination of various cancers. We investigated CXCR4 expre ssion in esophageal cancer specimens and its association with survival, lymph node microinvolvement, and bone marrow micrometastasis. Methods: We analyzed frozen tumor specimens from 136 patients with completely resected esophageal cancer for CXCR4 expression by immunohistochemistry. Lymph node microinvolvement and bone marrow micrometastasis were assessed by immunohistochemistry with monoclonal anti bodies Ber-EP4 (against epithelial cell adhesion molecule) and pancytokeratin A45-B/B3 (against several cytokeratins), respectively. Associations between CXCR4 expression and clinicopathologic features, including tumor stage, histologic grade, lymph node metastasis and microinvolvement, bone marrow micrometastasis, and survival, were investigated with Fisher's test, log-rank test, and Cox multivariable analysis. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: CXCR4 protein was expressed in 75 (55%) of 136 esophageal tumors examined. CXCR4 expression was statistically signifi cantly associated with reduced median overall and disease-specifi c survival, compared with CXCR4 nonexpression (P <.001; log-rank test). The median overall survival of patients with CXCR4-positive tumors was 20 months and with CXCR4-negative tumors, 76 months (difference = 56 months, 95% confi dence interval [CI] = 4 to 108 months; P <.001). The median disease-specifi c survival of patients with CXCR4-positive tumors was 25 months and with CXCR4negative tumors was 97 months (difference = 72 months, 95% CI = 34 to 110 months; P <.001). CXCR4 expression was statistically signifi cantly associated with increased lymph node microinvolvement (P <.001) and with increased bone marrow micrometastasis (P <.001). In multivariable analysis, CXCR4 expression, compared with its nonexpression, was identifi ed as the independent variable that was most strongly associated with reduced disease-specifi c survival (relative risk [RR] of death = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.20 to 3.41; P = .008) and overall survival (RR of death = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.33 to 3.59; P = .002). Conclusion: CXCR4 expression was associated with poor clinical outcome in esophageal cancer patients. CXCR4 may have a role in early metastatic spread because its expression was associated with micrometastases to both the lymph nodes and bone marrow. Thus, CXCR4 should be explored further as a target for adjuvant therapy for micrometastatic disease.

Chemokine receptor CXCR4-prognostic factor for gastrointestinal tumors

World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2008

To review the implication of CXCR4 for gastrointestinal cancer, a "Pubmed" analysis was performed in order to evaluate the relevance of CXCR4 and its ligands for gastrointestinal cancers. Search terms applied were "cancer, malignoma, esophageal, gastric, colon, colorectal, hepatic, pancreatic, CXCR4, SDF-1α, and SDF-1b". CXCR4 expression correlated with dissemination of diverse gastrointestinal malignomas. The CXCR4 ligand SDF-1α might act as "chemorepellent" while SDF-1b might act as "chemorepellent" for CTLs, inducing tumor rejection. The paracrine expression of SDF-1α was furthermore closely associated with neoangiogenesis. CXCR4 and its ligands influence the dissemination, immune rejection, and neoangiogenesis of human gastrointestinal cancers. Inhibition of CXCR4 might be an interesting therapeutic option.

A Growth-Related Oncogene/CXC Chemokine Receptor 2 Autocrine Loop Contributes to Cellular Proliferation in Esophageal Cancer

Cancer Research, 2006

Growth-related oncogene (GRO), a member of the CXC chemokine subfamily, plays a major role in inflammation and wound healing. CXC chemokines have been found to be associated with tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Although elevated expression of GRO has been reported in several human cancers, the expression and role of GRO and its receptor, CXCR2, in esophageal cancer are poorly understood. This study used real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical approaches to show that GROα, GROβ, and CXCR2 are up-regulated in esophageal tumor tissue. Furthermore, GROα, GROβ, and CXCR2 are constitutively expressed in WHCO1, an esophageal cancer cell line that was used as a model system here. GROβ enhances transcription of EGR-1, via the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathway, which can be blocked by a specific antagonist of CXCR2 (SB 225002) or specific antibody to GROβ. WHCO1 cells treated with SB 225002 exhibited a 40% reduction in cell pr...

Expression of CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 correlates with lymph node metastasis in submucosal esophageal cancer

Journal of Surgical Oncology, 2008

Background and Objectives: The chemokine CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 are involved in cell migration, proliferation, and angiogenesis, and promote organ-specific localization of distant metastases in various carcinomas. We examined their expression and microvessel density (MVD) in submucosal esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and analyzed their connection to clinicopathological findings including lymph node micrometastasis (LMM). Methods: Eighty-six patients with submucosal ESCC underwent curative resection from 1985 to 2002. Immunohistochemical staining of CXCL12, CXCR4, and CD34 was performed with primary tumors, and staining of cytokeratin was performed with dissected lymph nodes. MVD was calculated from CD34 expression, and LMM detected by cytokeratin staining. Results: Expression of CXCL12, but not CXCR4, correlated with lymph node metastasis. There was no significant correlation between the expression of CXCL12 and/or CXCR4 and MVD. LMM was detected in 8 cases and 14 lymph nodes. CXCL12 expression and high MVD were found in tumors with lymph node metastasis including LMM. Furthermore, in the CXCR4-positive tumors, positive CXCL12 expression was more significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis and/or LMM than negative CXCL12 expression. Conclusions: Evaluation of CXCL12 and CXCR4 expression should assist detection of lymph node metastasis including LMM in submucosal ESCC.

Chemokine receptor CXCR4 expression, function, and clinical implications in gastric cancer

2009

The chemokine receptor CXCR4 is associated with the biological behavior of cancer, but few studies have addressed the expression and function of CXCR4 in human gastric cancer and its impact on disease prognosis. We studied the expression of CXCR4 using RT-PCR, Western blotting, flow cytometry, and confocal microscopy in five gastric cancer cell lines. We also examined cell proliferation, migration, and anti-apoptotic activity in response to stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1· and evaluated SDF-1·/CXCR4 signaling pathways. Furthermore, we investigated the correlation between CXCR4 expression and the clinical features of 221 gastric cancer tissue samples. CXCR4 transcripts and proteins were detectable in all five gastric cancer cell lines. However, MKN-28, MKN-45, MKN-74, and SNU16 cells did not express membrane CXCR4. In contrast, KATO III cells expressed membrane CXCR4. In these cells, SDF-1·-induced migration was observed and was blocked by AMD3100, a specific inhibitor of CXCR4. SDF-1· induced rapid phosphorylation of Erk1/2 MAPK but did not promote phosphorylation of Stat3 or Akt. Gastric cancer tissue samples expressed CXCR4 with variable intensities. Strong CXCR4 expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastases (P=0.028) and higher stages III/IV (P=0.047), and further tended to be correlated with a reduced 5-year survival rate (42.6% vs. 53.9%; P=0.1). In conclusion, CXCR4 expression is associated with gastric cancer cell migration in vitro, and strong expression of CXCR4 by gastric cancer cells is significantly associated with lymphatic metastasis in patients with gastric cancer, suggesting that CXCR4 plays an important role during gastric cancer progression.

Positive expression and correlation of chemokine receptor CXCR4 with nodal metastasis and prognosis in colorectal cancer

The Chinese-German Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2007

Objective: Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths, with recurrence and metastasis as the primary reasons for mortality. New evidence has implicated chemokines as the likely cause. We studied the positive expression of CXCR4 chemokine receptors in colorectal carcinoma and investigated its correlations to clinicpathological characteristics and prognosis. Methods: Tumor tissue specimens of patients with colorectal carcinoma (n = 67) who underwent surgery from January 2003 to December 2004 at the Department of Surgery, Tongji Hospital were collected. CXCR4 expression levels and tumor microvessel density were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Specimens were immunostained using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. The correlation between the CXCR4 expression and clinicopathological factors was evaluated. Results: In 67 cancer tissue specimens, CXCR4 was positively expressed in 38 cases, positive rate being 56.7%. Positive expression of CXCR4 is associated with an increasing incidence of nodal involvement, higher clinic stage, higher tumor microvessel density and a lower 3-year disease free survival rate as compared to those with negative CXCR4 expression (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Positive CXCR4 expression and high tumor microvessel density are associated with poor prognosis and could be a potential predictive factor for recurrence or metastasis of colorectal cancer patients. So CXCR4 may be a potential target for specific therapeutic interventions in the future.

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

Advanced Biomedical Research, 2014

Background: CXCR4 is the 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.

Dissemination of hepatocellular carcinoma is mediated via chemokine receptor CXCR4

British journal of cancer, 2006

In different tumour entities, expression of the chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) has been linked to tumour dissemination and poor prognosis. Therefore, we evaluated, if the expression of CXCR4 exerts similar effects in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Expression analysis and functional assays were performed in vitro to elucidate the impact of CXCL12 on human hepatoma cells lines. In addition, expression of CXCR4 was evaluated in 39 patients with HCC semiquantitatively and correlated with both, tumour and patients characteristics. Human HCC and hepatoma cell lines displayed variable intensities of CXCR4 expression. Loss of p53 function did not impact on CXCR4 expression. Exposure to CXCL12 mediated a perinuclear translocation of CXCR4 in Huh7/Hep3B cells and increased the invasive potential of Huh7 cells. In HCC patients, CXCR4 expression significantly correlated with progressed local tumours (T-status; P=0.006), lymphatic metastasis (N-status; P=0.005) and distant dissemination (M-...