CXCL9 and nasopharyngeal carcinoma: These findings suggest that beside accelerated cell proliferation, NPC progression involved the activation of EMT program in which malignant nasopharyngeal epithelial cells undergo a morphological transition into a mesenchymal-like phenotype with strong invasive and migratory potentials, and the activation of immune response to recruit lymphocytes by upregulating CXCL9/10/11.