Background/aim: The overexpressed in lung cancer-1 (OLC1) protein is overexpressed in a variety of human tumors. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether increased expression of OLC1 is associated with colorectal cancer.
Materials and methods: OLC1 expression was assayed in 150 colorectal cancer tissues by immunohistochemical staining (IHC). Multivariate and univariate analyses were performed to determine the association between OLC1 expression and prognosis.
Results: Immunohistochemical results revealed that 107 out of 150 colorectal cancer patients had increased levels of OLC1. OLC1 expression was significantly correlated with UICC stage (p<0.001) and histological differentiation (p<0.001) in colorectal cancer patients. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates in patients with strong-positive and weak OLC1 staining were 16.6% and 95.3%, respectively (p<0.0001).
Conclusion: OLC1 overexpression is an important factor in colorectal carcinoma prognosis and can be an interesting potential novel biomarker for colorectal cancer.
Keywords: Overexpressed in lung cancer 1 (OLC1); colorectal cancer; immunohistochemistry; prognosis.