Renal cancers are considered immunogenic tumors that are frequently infiltrated by immune cells. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) represent a major leukocyte population, infiltrating tumors, and are associated with poor prognosis. Chemokines and their receptors play an important role in the tumorigenesis of many malignancies. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the immunohistochemical expression of TAM-related marker CD68 and chemokine receptor CXCR4 and study their correlation with other clinicopathological factors to detect the usefulness of these markers in the diagnosis and prognosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Materials and methods 

Immunohistochemical expression of CD68 +ve TAM density and CXCR4 was analyzed in 57 cases of RCC and 10 cases of normal renal tissue.

Results 

The higher expression of CD68 +ve TAMs was 57.8% and CXCR4 in 59.6% in RCC, which was statistically significantly different from the control group, which showed lower expression (P