BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to detect the expression levels of chemokines (CX3CL1, CXCL-11, CXCL-12, CCL3, CCL4, and CCL20) in the serum of esophageal cancer patients and a normal control group, and to explore the correlations of those expression levels with the pathological type, progression, and metastasis of esophageal cancer.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 50 normal people and 50 untreated patients initially diagnosed with esophageal cancer (including 17 cases of non-metastatic esophageal cancer, 33 cases of metastatic esophageal cancer, 36 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and 14 cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma) were collected. The liquid chip (Luminex) technology was applied to detect the expression levels of the above-mentioned serum chemokines in the two groups. The results were analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solution 20.0 software.

RESULTS: The expression levels of CX3CL1, CXCL-12, and CCL20 in esophageal cancer group were evidently higher than those in normal control group (P<0.001, P<0.001 and P=0.003, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences in chemokine expressions between metastatic esophageal cancer group and non-metastatic esophageal cancer group (P>0.05). The expression level of serum CCL4 in esophageal adenocarcinoma group was remarkably higher than that in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma group [18.45 (11.94) versus 13.37 (9.29), Z=–2.039, P=0.031]. In esophageal cancer group and normal control group, the serum CX3CL1 was positively correlated with CCL20 (r=0.649, P<0.001, r=0.758, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: The expressions of serum CX3CL1, CXCL-12, and CCL20 are increased markedly in the patients, which may promote the occurrence, development and metastasis of esophageal cancer.

Keywords: Chemokine CX3CL1, Chemokines, Esophageal Neoplasms, Biomarkers, Tumor, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, serum