CXCL family of chemokine: Clinical perspective in colorectal cancer

Background: Chemokine are small proteins which play a critical role in colorectal pathophysiology by stimulating inflammation, influencing angiogenesis and movement of immune cells. Recent research has emphasized the possible role of CXC chemokine family in influencing cancer development. In this study, focus was to investigate the CXC chemokines as potential biomarkers in colorectal cancer by comparing their levels in primary phases. Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted while using serum samples of colorectal cancer patients (stage II & III) and healthy controls. The circulatory levels of CXCL chemokines were quantified by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and differences between chemokine levels of colorectal cancer patients and healthy controls were analyzed using an independent t-test via the latest version of SPSS. Results: The study findings showed that concentrations of CXCL1, CXCL9, and CXCL11 chemokine were raised considerably with colorectal cancer progression, particularly in stage III, indicating their involvement in cancer progression. CXCL10 and CXCL11 concentrations were found to be significantly altered between the two stages of colorectal cancer (p<0.05). Conclusion: CXCL levels de-regulate in colorectal cancer and may serve as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.