The increased cumulative relapse-free survival and cumulative overall survival of cervical cancer patients lacking tumour cell-associated CCL2 mRNA suggest that the tumour-associated macrophages support tumour progression, presumably by promoting angiogenesis and production of growth factors.
Functionally, H/R-induced MCP-1 production may contribute to tumour progression by committing selective pressure on tumour cells via chemoattraction and activation of tumour-infiltrating monocytes/macrophages.