CXCR4/CXCR7/CXCL12-Axis in Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma

Causal relationship between inflammatory cytokines and autoimmune thyroid disease: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis

Background

Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) ranks among the most prevalent thyroid diseases, with inflammatory cytokines playing a decisive role in its pathophysiological process. However, the causal relationship between the inflammatory cytokines and AITD remains elusive.

Methods

A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to elucidate the causal connection between AITD and 41 inflammatory cytokines. Genetic variations associated with inflammatory cytokines were sourced from the FinnGen biobank, whereas a comprehensive meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) yielded data on Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto thyroiditis. Regarding the MR analysis, the inverse variance-weighted, MR-Egger, and weighted median methods were utilized. Additionally, sensitivity analysis was conducted using MR-Egger regression, MR-pleiotropy residual sum, and outliers.

Results

Seven causal associations were identified between inflammatory cytokines and AITD. High levels of tumor necrosis factor-β and low levels of stem cell growth factor-β were indicative of a higher risk of GD. In contrast, high levels of interleukin-12p70 (IL-12p70), IL-13, and interferon-γ and low levels of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and TNF-α suggested a higher risk of HD. Moreover, 14 causal associations were detected between AITD and inflammatory cytokines. GD increases the levels of macrophage inflammatory protein-1β, MCP-1, monokine induced by interferon-γ (MIG), interferon γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10), stromal cell-derived factor-1α, platelet-derived growth factor BB, β-nerve growth factor, IL-2ra, IL-4, and IL-17 in blood, whereas HD increases the levels of MIG, IL-2ra, IP-10, and IL-16 levels.

Conclusion

Our bidirectional MR analysis revealed a causal relationship between inflammatory cytokines and AITD. These findings offer valuable insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying AITD.

Harnessing Immunity to Treat Advanced Thyroid Cancer

The incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) has increased over the past 30 years. Although differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) has a good prognosis in most patients undergoing total thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine therapy (RAI), 5-10% of patients develop metastasis. Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) has a low survival rate and few effective treatments have been available to date. Recently, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been successfully applied to RAI-resistant or non-responsive TC to suppress the disease. However, TC eventually develops resistance to TKIs. Immunotherapy is a promising treatment for TC, the majority of which is considered an immune-hot malignancy. Immune suppression by TC cells and immune-suppressing cells, including tumor-associated macrophages, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and regulatory T cells, is complex and dynamic. Negative immune checkpoints, cytokines, vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF), and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) suppress antitumor T cells. Basic and translational advances in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), molecule-targeted therapy, tumor-specific immunotherapy, and their combinations have enabled us to overcome immune suppression and activate antitumor immune cells. This review summarizes current findings regarding the immune microenvironment, immunosuppression, immunological targets, and immunotherapy for TC and highlights the potential efficacy of immunotherapy.

CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) blockade in cancer treatment

CXC chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) is a member of the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) superfamily and is specific for CXC chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12, also known as SDF-1), which makes CXCL12/CXCR4 axis. CXCR4 interacts with its ligand, triggering downstream signaling pathways that influence cell proliferation chemotaxis, migration, and gene expression. The interaction also regulates physiological processes, including hematopoiesis, organogenesis, and tissue repair. Multiple evidence revealed that CXCL12/CXCR4 axis is implicated in several pathways involved in carcinogenesis and plays a key role in tumor growth, survival, angiogenesis, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Several CXCR4-targeting compounds have been discovered and used for preclinical and clinical cancer therapy, most of which have shown promising anti-tumor activity. In this review, we summarized the physiological signaling of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis and described the role of this axis in tumor progression, and focused on the potential therapeutic options and strategies to block CXCR4.

Potential function of loliolide as a novel blocker of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in colorectal and breast cancer cells

Loliolide (LL), a naturally occurring monoterpenoid lactone isolated from Vicia tenuifolia Roth, can exhibit numerous pharmacological effects such as those related to anti-Parkinson, anti-oxidant, anti-cholinesterase, and anti-depressant. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a pivotal role in regulating tumor metastasis. CXCR4 and CXCR7 are G-protein-coupled receptors (GPRs), which can be stimulated by CXCL12. CXCL12/CXCR4/CXCXR7 axis can cause activation of multiple pathways including MAPKs, JAK/STAT pathway, and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) signaling. These events can initiate EMT process and induce cell invasion and migration. Here, we investigated whether LL can modulate the CXCR4 and CXCR7 and EMT process in colon cancer and breast cancer cells. We found that LL suppressed levels of CXCR4 and CXCR7, and exerted an inhibitory effect on these chemokines even after stimulation by CXCL12. LL suppressed expression of MnSOD and mesenchymal markers, whereas induced epithelial markers. In addition, LL significantly attenuated cellular invasion, migration, and metastasis. We noted that LL inhibited CXCR4/7 and EMT process even after stimulation of CXCL12 and MnSOD overexpression. Therefore, in this study, we provide evidences that targeting CXCR4/7 and MnSOD could inhibit the invasion, migration, and metastasis of cancer cells as well as negatively regulate the EMT process. Overall, our study suggested that LL might act as a potent suppressor of EMT process against colon and breast cancer cells.

The prognostic significance of CXCR4 and SDF-1 in differentiated thyroid cancer depends on CD8+ density

BACKGROUND

Tumor infiltration with cytotoxic CD8+ T-cells is associated with a favorable outcome in several neoplasms, including thyroid cancer. The chemokine axis CXCR4/SDF-1 correlates with more aggressive tumors, but little is known concerning the prognostic relevance in relation to the tumor immune microenvironment of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).

METHODS

A tissue microarray (TMA) of 37 tumor specimens of primary DTC was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the expression of CD8+, CXCR4, phosphorylated CXCR4 and SDF-1. A survival analysis was performed on a larger collective (n = 456) at RNA level using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) papillary thyroid cancer cohort.

RESULTS

Among the 37 patients in the TMA-cohort, the density of CD8+ was higher in patients with less advanced primary tumors (median cells/TMA-punch: 12.5 (IQR: 6.5, 12.5) in T1-2 tumors vs. 5 (IQR: 3, 8) in T3-4 tumors, p = 0.05). In the TCGA-cohort, CXCR4 expression was higher in patients with cervical lymph node metastasis compared to N0 or Nx stage (CXCR4^high/low 116/78 vs. 97/116 vs. 14/35, respectively, p = 0.001). Spearman's correlation analysis of the TMA-cohort demonstrated that SDF-1 was significantly correlated with CXCR4 (r = 0.4, p = 0.01) and pCXCR4 (r = 0.5, p = 0.002). In the TCGA-cohort, density of CD8+ correlated with CXCR4 and SDF-1 expression (r = 0.58, p < 0.001; r = 0.4, p < 0.001). The combined marker analysis of the TCGA cohort demonstrated that high expression of both, CXCR4 and SDF-1 was associated with reduced overall survival in the CD8 negative TCGA cohort (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that the prognostic significance of CXCR4 and SDF-1 in differentiated thyroid cancer depends on the density of CD8 positive T-lymphocytes. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to support our findings and inform future investigations of new treatment and diagnostic options for a more personalized approach for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.

Comparative evaluation of somatostatin and CXCR4 receptor expression in different types of thyroid carcinoma using well-characterised monoclonal antibodies

Background

Papillary and follicular thyroid carcinomas can be treated surgically and with radioiodine therapy, whereas therapeutic options for advanced stage IV medullary and for anaplastic tumours are limited. Recently, somatostatin receptors (SSTs) and the chemokine receptor CXCR4 have been evaluated for the treatment of thyroid carcinomas, however, with contradictory results.

Methods

The expression of the five SSTs and of CXCR4 was assessed in 90 samples from 56 patients with follicular, papillary, medullary, or anaplastic thyroid carcinoma by means of immunohistochemistry using well-characterised monoclonal antibodies. The stainings were evaluated using the Immunoreactivity Score (IRS) and correlated to clinical data. In order to further substantiate the immunohistochemistry results, in serial sections of a subset of the samples receptor expression was additionally examined at the mRNA level using qRT-PCR.

Results

Overall, SST and CXCR4 protein expression was low in all four entities. In single cases, however, very high IRS values for SST2 and CXCR4 were observed. SST2 was the most frequently expressed receptor, found in 38% of cases, followed by SST5 and SST4, found in 14 and 9% of tumours, respectively. SST1 and SST3 could not be detected to any significant extent. CXCR4 was present in 12.5% of medullary and 25% of anaplastic carcinomas. Expression SST3, SST4, SST5 and CXCR4 was positively correlated with expression of the proliferation marker Ki-67. Additionally, a negative interrelationship between SST4 or SST5 expression and patient survival and a positive association between SST3 expression and tumour diameter were observed. qRT-PCR revealed a similar receptor expression pattern to that seen at the protein level. However, probably due to the low overall expression, no correlation was found for the SSTs or the CXCR4 between the IRS and the mRNA values.

Conclusions

SST- or CXCR4-based diagnostics or therapy in thyroid carcinomas should not be considered in general but may be feasible in single cases with high levels of expression of these receptors.

Germinal Center-Related G Protein-Coupled Receptors in Antibody-Mediated Autoimmune Skin Diseases: from Basic Research to Clinical Trials

Germinal center (GC) reaction greatly contributes to the humoral immune response, which begins in lymph nodes or other secondary lymphoid organs after follicular B cells are activated by T-dependent antigens. The GCs then serve as a platform for follicular B cells to complete clonal expansion and somatic hypermutation and then interact with follicular dendritic cells (FDC) and follicular helper T cells (Tfh). Through the interaction between the immune cells, significant processes of the humoral immune response are accomplished, such as antibody affinity maturation, class switching, and production of memory B cells and plasma cells. Cell positioning during the GC reaction is mainly mediated by the chemokine receptors and lipid receptors, which both belong to G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) family. There are some orphan GPCRs whose endogenous ligands are unclear yet contribute to the regulation of GC reaction as well. This review will give an introduction on the ligands and functions of two types of GC-relating GPCRs-chemokine receptors like CXCR4 and CXCR5, as well as emerging de-orphanized GPCRs like GPR183, GPR174, and P2RY8. The roles these GPCRs play in several antibody-mediated autoimmune skin diseases will be also discussed, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), pemphigus, scleroderma, and dermatomyositis. Besides, GPCRs are excellent drug targets due to the unique structure and vital functions. Therefore, this review is aimed at providing readers with a focused knowledge about the role that GPCRs play in GC reaction, as well as in provoking the development of GPCR-targeting agents for immune-mediated diseases besides autoimmune diseases.

Epigenetic Regulation of CXCR4 Signaling in Cancer Pathogenesis and Progression

Signaling involving chemokine receptor CXCR4 and its ligand SDF-1/CXL12 has been investigated for many years for its possible role in cancer progression and pathogenesis. Evidence emerging from clinical studies in recent years has further established diagnostic as well as prognostic importance of CXCR4 signaling. CXCR4 and SDF-1 are routinely reported to be elevated in tumors, distant metastases, which correlates with poor survival of patients. These findings have kindled interest in the mechanisms that regulate CXCR4/SDF-1 expression. Of note, there is a particular interest in the epigenetic regulation of CXCR4 signaling that may be responsible for upregulated CXCR4 in primary as well as metastatic cancers. This review first lists the clinical evidence supporting CXCR4 signaling as putative cancer diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarker, followed by a discussion on reported epigenetic mechanisms that affect CXCR4 expression. These mechanisms include regulation by non-coding RNAs, such as, microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs. Additionally, we also discuss the regulation of CXCR4 expression through methylation and acetylation. Better understanding and appreciation of epigenetic regulation of CXCR4 signaling can invariably lead to identification of novel therapeutic targets as well as therapies to regulate this oncogenic signaling.

Expression of CXCR4 and CXCR7 in papillary thyroid carcinoma and adjacent tissues and their relationship with pathologic indicators of tumor aggressiveness

The receptors of chemokines play a significance role in the aggressiveness of tumor. CXCR4/CXCR7 promote metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). This study examined the expresssion of chemokine receptors CXCR4/CXCR7 in human tissue specimens of PTC and peritumoral nonmalignant tissues. The correlation between CXCR4/CXCR7 and the clinicopathological factors in PTC was also determined. CXCR4/CXCR7 were examined in 115 PTC tissues from 115 patients using immunohistochemistry. Staining intensity was compared with patients and tumor characteristics including gender, age, tumor size, capsule invasion, multifocality, lymph node metastasis, and nature of paracancerous tissue. [Statistics: rank sum test, Spearman rank order correlation test; p < 0.05]. Higher expression rates of CXCR4/CXCR7 exhibited in PTC compared with peritumoral nonmalignant tissues. The expression of them was correlated in cancer and paracancerous specimens. A trend toward higher CXCR4/CXCR7 expression was found among tumors showing positive lymph nodes and capsule invasion, while no association with sex, age, tumor size, and nature of paracancerous tissue. Number of lymph nodes was associated with higher intensity IHC staining for CXCR4/CXCR7. Intense staining for CXCR4 was also associated with multifocality. Expression of CXCR4/CXCR7 by PTCs was correlated with lymph node metastasis and capsule invasion. Although multiple bias, they were thought to play a significance role in the aggressiveness of PTC, which provides potential targets for therapeutic interventions.

Sex Bias in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Differentiated thyroid cancers are more frequent in women than in men. These different frequencies may depend on differences in patient's behavior and in thyroid investigations. However, an impact on sexual hormones is likely, although this has been insufficiently elucidated. Estrogens may increase the production of mutagenic molecules in the thyroid cell and favor the proliferation and invasion of tumoral cells by regulating both the thyrocyte enzymatic machinery and the inflammatory process associated with tumor growth. On the other hand, the worse prognosis of thyroid cancer associated with the male gender is poorly explained.

The Diagnostic Value of the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System Classification and Shear-Wave Elastography for the Differentiation of Thyroid Nodules

This study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR TI-RADS) classification and shear-wave elastography (SWE) for the diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules. This retrospective study enrolled 141 patients (18-84 y of age) undergoing thyroidectomy between January 2015 and August 2020. All statistical analysis was based on pathologic results of patients. The cut-off value was found as category 4 for ACR TI-RADS classification and 5 m/s for shear-wave velocity (Vs) by the receiver operator characteristic curve analysis (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.684, p = 0.020 and AUC = 0.715, p = 0.005, respectively). SWE has higher diagnostic accuracy than the ACR TI-RADS classification system and can improve thyroid nodule discrimination in all sizes of the nodules. Also, the diagnostic performance decreases when the nodule diameter increases.

A retrospective study of reducing unnecessary thyroid biopsy for American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems 4 assessment through applying shear wave elastography

Objective The purpose of the study is to quantitatively assess shear-wave elastography (SWE) value in American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (ACR TI-RADS) 4. Materials and methods One hundred and fifty-two ACR TI-RADS 4 thyroid nodules undergoing SWE were included in the study. The mean (EMean), minimum (EMin) and maximum (EMax) of SWE elasticity were measured. Results The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for SWE EMean, EMin and EMax in detecting benign and malignant nodules were 0.95, 0.83 and 0.84, respectively. Cut-off value of EMean ≤ 23.30 kPa is able to downgrade the lesion category to ACR TI-RADS 3 and cut-off value of EMean ≥ 52.14 kPa is able to upgrade the lesion category to ACR TI-RADS 5. Conclusions The EMean of SWE will probably identify nodules that have a high potential for benignity in ACR TI-RADS 4. It may help identify and select benign nodules while reducing unnecessary biopsy of benign thyroid nodules.

Identifying hub genes of papillary thyroid carcinoma in the TCGA and GEO database using bioinformatics analysis

Background

Thyroid carcinoma (THCA) is a common endocrine malignant tumor. Papillary carcinoma with low degree of malignancy and good prognosis is the most common. It can occur at any age, but it is more common in young adults. Although the mortality rate is decreased due to early diagnosis, the survival rate varies depending on the type of tumor. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify hub biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets for THCA.

Methods

The GSE3467, GSE3678, GSE33630 and GSE53157 were obtained from the GEO database, including 100 thyroid tumors and 64 normal tissues to obtain the intersection of differentially expressed genes, and a protein-protein interaction network was constructed to obtain the HUB gene. The corresponding overall survival information from The Cancer Genome Atlas Project-THCA was then included in this research. The signature mechanism was studied by analyzing the gene ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome database.

Results

In this research, we identified eight candidate genes (FN1, CCND1, CDH2, CXCL12, MET, IRS1, DCN and FMOD) from the network. Also, expression verification and survival analysis of these candidate genes based on the TCGA database indicate the robustness of the above results. Finally, our hospital samples validated the expression levels of these genes.

Conclusion

The research identified eight mRNA (four up–regulated and four down–regulated) which serve as signatures and could be a potential prognostic marker of THCA.

The Impact of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 on the Sequential Steps of the Metastatic Process

In industrialized countries, cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease. Most cancer patients die because of metastases, which consist of the self-transplantation of malignant cells in anatomical sites other than the one from where the tumor arose. Disseminated cancer cells retain the phenotypic features of the primary tumor, and display very poor differentiation indices and functional regulation. Upon arrival at the target organ, they replace preexisting, normal cells, thereby permanently compromising the patient's health; the metastasis can, in turn, metastasize. The spread of cancer cells implies the degradation of the extracellular matrix by a variety of enzymes, among which the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 is particularly effective. This article reviews the available published literature concerning the important role that MMP-9 has in the metastatic process. Additionally, information is provided on therapeutic approaches aimed at counteracting, or even preventing, the development of metastasis via the use of MMP-9 antagonists.

The Anti-Angiogenic Effects of Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Drugs

The growth and metastasis of malignant tumors benefit from the formation of blood vessels within the tumor area. There, new vessels originate from angiogenesis (the sprouting of pre-existing neighboring vessels) and/or vasculogenesis (the mobilization of bone marrow-derived endothelial cell precursors which incorporate in tumor vasculature and then differentiate into mature endothelial cells). These events are induced by soluble molecules (the angiogenic factors) and modulated by endothelial cell interactions with the perivascular matrix. Given angiogenesis/vasculogenesis relevance to tumor progression, anti-angiogenic drugs are often employed to buttress surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy in the treatment of a wide variety of cancers. Most of the anti-angiogenic drugs have been developed to functionally impair the angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor: however, this leaves other angiogenic factors unaffected, hence leading to drug resistance and escape. Other anti-angiogenic strategies have exploited classical inhibitors of enzymes remodeling the perivascular matrix. Disappointingly, these inhibitors have been found toxic and/or ineffective in clinical trials, even though they block angiogenesis in pre-clinical models. These findings are stimulating the identification of other anti-angiogenic compounds. In this regard, it is noteworthy that drugs utilized for a long time to counteract human immune deficiency virus (HIV) can directly and effectively hamper molecular pathways leading to blood vessel formation. In this review the mechanisms leading to angiogenesis and vasculogenesis, and their susceptibility to anti-HIV drugs will be discussed.

CXCL12/CXCR4 signal transduction in diseases and its molecular approaches in targeted-therapy

Chemokines are small molecules called "chemotactic cytokines" and regulate many processes like leukocyte trafficking, homing of immune cells, maturation, cytoskeletal rearrangement, physiology, migration during development, and host immune responses. These proteins bind to their corresponding 7-membrane G-protein-coupled receptors. Chemokines and their receptors are anti-inflammatory factors in autoimmune conditions, so consider as potential targets for neutralization in such diseases. They also express by cancer cells and function as angiogenic factors, and/or survival/growth factors that enhance tumor angiogenesis and development. Among chemokines, the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis has significantly been studied in numerous cancers and autoimmune diseases. CXCL12 is a homeostatic chemokine, which is acts as an anti-inflammatory chemokine during autoimmune inflammatory responses. In cancer cells, CXCL12 acts as an angiogenic, proliferative agent and regulates tumor cell apoptosis as well. CXCR4 has a role in leukocyte chemotaxis in inflammatory situations in numerous autoimmune diseases, as well as the high levels of CXCR4, observed in different types of human cancers. These findings suggest CXCL12/CXCR4 as a potential therapeutic target for therapy of autoimmune diseases and open a new approach to targeted-therapy of cancers by neutralizing CXCL12 and CXCR4. In this paper, we reviewed the current understanding of the role of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis in disease pathology and cancer biology, and discuss its therapeutic implications in cancer and diseases.

The role of CXCR4 in multiple myeloma: Cells' journey from bone marrow to beyond

CXCR4 is a pleiotropic chemokine receptor which acts through its ligand CXCL12 to regulate diverse physiological processes. CXCR4/CXCL12 axis plays a pivotal role in proliferation, invasion, dissemination and drug resistance in multiple myeloma (MM). Apart from its role in homing, CXCR4 also affects MM cell mobilization and egression out of the bone marrow (BM) which is correlated with distant organ metastasis. Aberrant CXCR4 expression pattern is associated with osteoclastogenesis and tumor growth in MM through its cross talk with various important cell signalling pathways. A deeper insight into understanding of CXCR4 mediated signalling pathways and its role in MM is essential to identify potential therapeutic interventions. The current therapeutic focus is on disrupting the interaction of MM cells with its protective tumor microenvironment where CXCR4 axis plays an essential role. There are still multiple challenges that need to be overcome to target CXCR4 axis more efficiently and to identify novel combination therapies with existing strategies. This review highlights the role of CXCR4 along with its significant interacting partners as a mediator of MM pathogenesis and summarizes the targeted therapies carried out so far.

Prognostic significance of CXCR7 in cancer patients: a meta-analysis

Background

CXC chemokine receptor 7 (CXCR7) is frequently overexpressed in a variety of tumors. Nevertheless, whether CXCR7 can be used as a tumor prognosis marker has not been systematically assessed. The current meta-analysis was performed to obtain an accurate evaluation of the relationship between CXCR7 level and the prognosis of cancer patients.

Methods

Embase, Web of Science, and PubMed were systematically searched according to a defined search strategy up to June 11, 2018. Then, the required data were extracted from all qualified studies which were screened out based on the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, the hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to evaluate the prognostic significance of CXCR7 in tumor patients.

Results

A total of 28 original research studies comprising 33 cohorts and 5685 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that CXCR7 overexpression was significantly related to worse overall survival (OS) (HR 1.72; 95% CI 1.49–1.99), disease-free survival (DFS) (HR 5.58; 95% CI 3.16–9.85), progression-free survival (PFS) (HR 2.83; 95% CI 1.66–4.85) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR 1.58; 95% CI 1.34–1.88) in cancer patients. Furthermore, for certain types of cancer, significant associations between higher CXCR7 expression and worse OS of glioma (HR 1.77; 95% CI 1.43–2.19), breast cancer (HR 1.45; 95% CI 1.28–1.63), esophageal cancer (HR 2.72; 95% CI 1.11–6.66) and pancreatic cancer (HR 1.46; 95% CI 1.12–1.90) were found. However, for lung cancer and hepatocellular cancer, there was no significant relationship between CXCR7 expression level and OS, (HR 2.40; 95% CI 0.34–17.07) and (HR 1.37; 95% CI 0.84–2.24) respectively.

Conclusions

Increased CXCR7 level could predict poor prognosis of tumor patients and might be regarded as a novel prognostic biomarker for tumor patients.