ObjectiveTo investigate the expressions of chemokine receptor CXCR4 and CCR7 in thyroid cancer and its clinicopathologic significance. MethodsFifty-five patients with thyroid cancer were selected in the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College from 2006 to 2009, and 30 patients with thyroid adenoma were selected in the same hospital during 2009. The expressions of CXCR4 and CCR7 were detected in all the selected cases samples (including thyroid cancer and thyroid adenoma) by immunohistochemical SP technique. ResultsThe positive expression rates of CXCR4 and CCR7 in the thyroid cancer were higher than those in the thyroid adenoma (Plt;0.01), which in the thyroid cancer with clinical stage Ⅲ+Ⅳ were higher than those of the clinical stage Ⅰ+Ⅱ (Plt;0.05). The positive expression rate of CCR7 in the thyroid cancer with lymph node metastasis was higher than that of the thyroid cancer without lymph node metastasis (Plt;0.05), which of CXCR4 in the patients with thyroid cancer was independent of lymph node metastasis (Pgt;0.05), and which of CXCR4 and CCR7 were also independent of the age and gender of the patients with thyroid cancer (Pgt;0.05). The positive expressions of CCR7 and CXCR4 in all the patients with thyroid cancer was positively correlated (rs=0.491, P=0.000). ConclusionsCXCR4 and CCR7 are involved in the coordination of thyroid cancer progression. They can be used as prognostic indicators of thyroid cancer. High expression of CCR7 is prone to lymph node metastasis of thyroid cancer.
