Relationship between expression of OGFR, P16, P21 and clinicopathological features of colorectal cancer patients.

UNLABELLED: This study aimed to investigate the expression of OGFR, P16, and P21 in CRC patients and to perform a comprehensive analysis in relation to clinicopathological characteristics, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS). The findings are expected to elucidate the roles of these molecules in CRC occurrence, progression, and prognosis, thereby providing potential theoretical evidence and practical directions for precision therapeutic strategies. METHODS: Bioinformatics analyses, including differential analysis, survival analysis, single-cell sequencing, and spatial transcriptome analysis, were conducted to assess OGFR. We employed RT-qPCR and Western blot techniques to quantify the mRNA and protein levels of OGFR, P16, and P21 in a cohort of 30 CRC tissues. Immunohistochemistry was applied to evaluate the positive expression rates of OGFR, P16, and P21 in 194 CRC tissues. Associations with clinicopathological features were analyzed using SPSS 20.0, and survival was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: OGFR was upregulated in CRC and associated with advanced stage and shorter DFS, while P16 and P21 were downregulated and correlated with tumor progression. Correlation analyses showed OGFR was negatively associated with P16 and P21, whereas P16 and P21 were positively correlated. Survival analysis indicated that P21 positivity predicted poorer OS, while both P16 and P21 positivity were linked to improved DFS. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the regulatory relationships among OGFR, P16, and P21 in CRC, suggesting their potential as therapeutic targets.