Expression of septin 2 and association with clinicopathological parameters in colorectal cancer

Septin 2 (SEPT2) is a tumor-related gene belonging to the SEPT family that affects the cellular processes of hepatoma carcinoma cells, glioblastoma cells and mesangial cells and is highly expressed in breast cancer, biliary tract cancer and acute myeloid leukemia. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of malignancy in humans. In the present study, Oncomine database was used to compare the expression pattern of SEPT2 mRNA between CRC and normal tissues. Additionally, protein expression in 90 pairs of CRC and paracancerous tissues was analyzed by western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The results showed that SEPT2 was highly expressed in CRC tissues at the mRNA and protein levels. SEPT2 expression quantified by IHC was associated with lymph node metastasis, the degree of differentiation and TNM staging. Increased SEPT2 wass associated with reduced overall survival (OS) according to Kaplan-Meier analysis. COX proportional hazard analysis indicated that SEPT2 was an independent factor that influenced the OS of patients with CRC. Therefore, SEPT2 was associated with the occurrence, progression and prognosis of CRC and thus, may be a marker and prognostic indicator of CRC.