Interplays between non-coding RNAs and chemokines in digestive system cancers.

Within tumors, chemokines and their cognate receptors are expressed by infiltrated leukocytes, cancerous cells, and related cells of stroma, like tumor-associated fibroblasts and tumor-associated macrophages. In malignancies, the altered expression of chemokines/chemokine receptors governs leukocyte infiltration and activation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) contribute to multiple physiological and pathophysiological processes.