CXCL12 and cancer: The human OC microenvironment contains a dynamic inflammatory cytokine network that has been described in recent studies as the “TNF network.” In this network, key cytokine/chemokine mediators of cancer-related inflammation such as interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and stromal cell-derived factor-1 (CXCL12) promote disease progression by facilitating bidirectional communication between the tumor and the stroma (185).