Serum CCL2 and CCL3 as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2) and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α/CCL3) are small chemotactic proteins that have been found in several kinds of tumor tissue samples and function as key regulators of cancer progression. However, the expression of CCL2 and CCL3 in serum samples of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic meaning of serum CCL2 and CCL3 in OSCC. The concentration of CCL2 and CCL3 was assessed by ELISA in serum of OSCC patients ( n = 98), leukoplakia patients ( n = 14), and healthy donors ( n = 27). The results showed that the concentration of CCL2 in the OSCC group was significantly lower compared to that in the healthy controls (67.81 vs. 108.1 pg/ml, P