Expression of CX3CL1 in the neoplastic lung tissue of squamous cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer has one of the highest mortality rates. Although epidermoid lung cancer is one of the most prevalent subtypes of lung cancer, no targeted therapy is currently available for this type of cancer. CX3CL1 is a chemokine that has emerged as a potential molecular target for several malignancies. Chemokines direct the migration of various cell types to the tumor and influence tumor cell behavior. To date, little information is available on the role of this chemokine in squamous cell lung cancer. Using immunofluorescence, we evaluated the expression of CX3CL1 in histological specimens of neoplastic lung tissue from squamous cell lung cancer patients. CX3CL1 was expressed in squamous neoplastic lung tissues at all grades of tumor differentiation. We found this chemokine in the cytoplasm and nucleus of non-transformed cells in the adjacent tissue, but it was infrequent in the nucleus of neoplastic cells, which could have biological relevance.