We further confirmed that CXCL8 played a role in epithelial cell function in vivo, as Ishikawa FPS cell tumour xenografts in nude mice treated with a CXCL8 neutralising antibody displayed reduced neoplastic epithelial cell proliferation characterised by reduced BrdU incorporation and reduced cytokeratin 18 immunoreactivity, compared to IgG treated controls. This evidence concerns the gene CXCL8 and neoplasm.