Combined with the results of the present study, we propose one positive-feedback working model in which environmental cues, such as hypoxia in tumorigenesis, induce CD164 overexpression and increase the components of the SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis to activate its downstream signaling pathways for cell proliferation, migration, invasion and self-renewal in ovary cancer cells. Here, CXCL12 is linked to ovarian cancer.