Abstract
ObjectiveThe present study was designed to investigate the role of the chemokine CXCL7 in angiogenesis and explore its prognostic value in colorectal cancer (CRC).MethodsA total of 160 CRC patients who had undergone surgery were included in this study, and staged according to the guidelines of the AJCC, 7th Edition. Expression of CXCL7 and VEGF was detected by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and divided into high and low expression subgroups. The correlation between CXCL7 and VEGF expression was evaluated by Spearman’s rank-correlation coefficient. Prognosis based on CXCL7 and VEGF was evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards regression model and a nomogram of 5-year overall survival (OS) time.ResultsCXCL7 was highly expressed in tumor tissues (65.63% vs 25.00% in paracancerous tissue, P < 0.001), as was VEGF. CXCL7 and VEGF expression correlated well with N and TNM stage cancers (all P < 0.001). Importantly, CXCL7 was positively correlated with VEGF expression in CRC tissues. CXCL7 was an independent predictor of poor OS of CRC patients (HR = 2.216, 95% CI: 1.069-4.593, P = 0.032), and co-expression of CXCL7 and VEGF of predicted poor OS of 56.96 months.ConclusionExpression of CXCL7 correlated with VEGF and was associated with poor clinical outcomes in CRC patients.
Highlights
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the deadliest malignant tumors with over 1.8 million new cases worldwide each year, and contributes to about 10% of tumor-related deaths [1]
We found that Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was highly expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues (64.38%, 103/160 vs. 26.25%, 42/160 in normal tissues, Figures 1C, D)
CRC is a serious public health challenge associated with high mortality and morbidity worldwide, especially in developing countries such as China [35]
Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the deadliest malignant tumors with over 1.8 million new cases worldwide each year, and contributes to about 10% of tumor-related deaths [1]. 746,000 men and 614,000 women were diagnosed with CRC in developed countries, accounting for 55% of all cancer cases [2]. The incidence and mortality of CRC are increasing in China due to the aging population and advanced stages of the disease [5,6,7]. Patients aged 75 years and over constitute a large proportion of new CRC cases (above 40%), and about 45% patients are in advanced stages when first diagnosed [8, 9]. The 5-year survival rate is 92% in stage I CRC patients, but drops to 10% when patients are in advanced stage IV [10]. Progress in CRC diagnosis and treatment, including traditional surgical resection, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and newly targeted immunotherapy, has been achieved, the long-term prognosis, especially in terms of 5-year survival rate, has not improved significantly in recent decades [11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
