The chemokine CXCL7 is correlated with LDH-A and predicts the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer

Abstract Objective: The aims of this study were to evaluate the correlation between CXCL7 expression and glycolysis and to explore the prognostic significance of CXCL7 in colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: The expression of CXCL7 and LDH-A was measured by immunohistochemistry in tissues from 158 CRC patients. All patients were divided into high expression and low expression groups based on receiver operating characteristic curves and a cut-off value. Spearman's rank-correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between CXCL7 and LDH-A expression. Kaplan–Meier analysis and log-rank test were utilized to explore the overall survival (OS) times of CRC patients. A Cox proportional hazard model and nomogram were also used to assess the risk factors related to prognosis. Results: Higher expression of CXCL7 and LDH-A were detected in CRC tissues and associated with N stage and TNM stage (all P < 0.05). CXCL7 expression was strongly correlated with LDH-A expression in CRC tissues (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.696, P < 0.001). High expression of CXCL7 was validated as an independent risk factor for OS (hazard ratio: 2.066; 95% CI: 1.223–3.490; P = 0.007). Conclusion: Increased expression of CXCL7 was positively correlated with LDH-A expression and was an independent risk factor for CRC prognosis.