RESEARCH ARTICLE Coexpression of EGFR and CXCR4 Predicts Poor Prognosis in

Background Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is highly expressed in pancreatic ductal adeno-carcinoma (PDAC) and is involved in tumorigenesis and development. However, EGFR ex-pression alone has limited clinical and prognostic significance. Recently, the cross-talk between EGFR and G-protein-coupled chemokine receptor CXCR4 has become increasingly recognized. Methods In the present study, immunohistochemical staining of EGFR and CXCR4was performed on paraffin-embedded specimens from 131 patients with surgically resected PDAC. Subsequent-ly, the associations between EGFR expression, CXCR4 expression, EGFR/CXCR4 coexpres-sion and clinicopathologic factors were assessed, and survival analyses were performed. Results In total, 64 (48.9%) patients expressed EGFR, 68 (51.9%) expressed CXCR4, and 33 (25.2%) coexpressed EGFR and CXCR4. No significant association between EGFR an