Abstract
Following the publication of the above paper, it was drawn to the Editors' attention by a concerned reader that certain of the flow cytometric data featured in Figs. 2C, 4D and 5E, the Transwell cell migration and invasion assay data shown in Figs. 2D and E, 4E and F, and 5F and G, and the tumor images shown in Fig. 7A, were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles by different authors. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article were already under consideration for publication, or had already been published, prior to its submission to International Journal of Molecular Medicine, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. The authors were asked for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not receive a reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [International Journal of Molecular Medicine 44: 1833‑1843, 2019; DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2019.4333].