Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Sep 15, 2022; 14(9): 1675-1688
Published online Sep 15, 2022. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v14.i9.1675
Potential of six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 4 as a prognostic marker for colorectal cancer
Ze-Xuan Fang, Chun-Lan Li, Wen-Jia Chen, Hua-Tao Wu, Jing Liu
Ze-Xuan Fang, Chun-Lan Li, Wen-Jia Chen, Jing Liu, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer, Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, Guangdong Province, China
Hua-Tao Wu, Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Liu J and Wu HT designed the research study; Fang ZX performed the research; Fang ZX, Li CL, Chen WJ, and Wu HT analyzed the research and wrote the manuscript; Liu J revised the manuscript critically; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81501539; the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, No. 2021A1515012180 and 2016A030312008; the Special Grant for Key Area Programs of Guangdong Department of Education, No. 2021ZDZX2004; the Science and Technology Special Project of Guangdong Province, No. 210715216902829; and “Dengfeng Project” for the Construction of High-level Hospitals in Guangdong Province-First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University College Supporting Funding, No. 202003-10.
Institutional review board statement: The current study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Shantou University Medical College.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jing Liu, MD, PhD, Academic Research, Associate Professor, Research Scientist, Senior Scientist, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer, Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, No. 22 Xinling Road, Shantou 515041, Guangdong Province, China. jliu12@stu.edu.cn
Received: January 18, 2022
Peer-review started: January 18, 2022
First decision: March 8, 2022
Revised: March 23, 2022
Accepted: August 6, 2022
Article in press: August 6, 2022
Published online: September 15, 2022
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 4 (STEAP4) is an attractive biomarker for the immunotherapy of prostate and breast cancers. However, the immunotherapeutic role of STEAP4 for colorectal carcinomas has not been demonstrated.

Research motivation

Immunotherapy emerges with predicting outcomes and therapeutic efficacy in colorectal cancers (CRC).

Research objectives

To explore the expression pattern of STEAPs in CRCs and their relationship with immune infiltration, and investigate the potential utilization of STEAPs as novel prognostic indicators in colorectal carcinomas.

Research methods

CRC patients’ tissues and online datasets were used to analyze the expression level of STEAP4 in different types of CRC and their relationship with immune characteristics.

Research results

The expression of STEAP4 was significantly decreased in CRC tissues compared with adjacent normal ones, and was related to immune-related biomarkers. Low STEAP4 level predicted a poor overall survival of CRC patients.

Research conclusions

STEAP4 was found to be a protective factor in the intestinal tract and could be used as a prognostic indicator for patients with CRC.

Research perspectives

STEAP4 may be a potential biomarker for predicting CRC immune infiltration status.