We evaluated the translation and histoanatomical distribution of the chemokine CXCL12 and its corresponding chemokine receptor CXCR4 in a large series of 347 gastric carcinoma samples immunohistochemically using the tissue microarray-technology as well as in 61 matching lymph node metastases on conventional slides (iii). The gene discussed is CXCR4; the disease is gastric carcinoma.