Strong expression of chemokine receptor CXCR4 by pancreatic cancer correlates with advanced disease

Certain chemokines have been proposed to distinctly contribute to tumor growth, dissemination and local immune escape. Expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 has been linked to tumor progression in diverse tumor entities. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the expression of CXCR4 influences progression of human pancreatic cancer. CXCR4 expression of pancreatic cancer was retrospectively assessed by immunohistochemistry in 103 patients with pancreatic cancer. Intensity of CXCR4 expression was correlated with both tumor and patient characteristics. Human pancreatic cancer revealed variable intensities of CXCR4 expression. Strong CXCR4 expression was significantly associated with advanced UICC stages (P=0.03) and revealed a trend for hematogenous metastasis (P=0.09) and progressed local tumor stages (P=0.15). In summary, strong expression of CXCR4 was significantly associated with advanced pancreatic cancer.