Expression and clinical significance of p62 protein in colon cancer

p62 is a multifunctional protein involved in multiple cellular processes including proliferation, drug sensitivity and autophagy-associated cancer cell growth. However, the role of p62 in colon cancer remains controversial. Here we investigated the expression of p62 protein in colon cancer and its clinical significance. Patients with colon adenocarcinoma who underwent resection at the Third Affiliated Teaching Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University (Affiliated Cancer Hospital) were retrospectively analyzed. The expression of p62 protein in tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry and western-blotting. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression level of p62 messenger ribonucleic acid in specimens. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed using Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. A total of 85 colon cancer patients were enrolled, including 55 (64.71%) patients with high p62 expression, and 30 (35.29%) patients with low p62 expression. The transcription and expression level of p62 in colon cancer tissues were higher than those in adjacent normal tissues (P < .01). High expression of p62 was an independent risk factor for the poor prognosis (PFS and OS) of colon cancer. p62 may be a potential indicator of determining the progression and prognosis evaluation of colon cancer.