EYA4 could be an indicator signifying colorectal cancer sufferers' prognoses

Abstract Background Eyes absent 4 (EYA4) is involved in various biological processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of EYA4 and its prognostic value in colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods The mRNA level of EYA4 in diseased tissues and adjacent normal tissues of CRC patients were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The association between EYA4 expression and clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed by χ2 test. Kaplan-Meier analysis with log rank test was performed to evaluate the effects of EYA4 expression on overall survival of CRC patients. Cox regression model was applied for prognosis analysis in CRC. Results The mRNA level of EYA4 was significantly decreased in CRC tissues compared with that in the adjacent normal tissue (P < 0.01). And its expression was affected by DUKE stage (P = 0.034), differentiation (P = 0.027) and vascular invasion (P = 0.037). Survival curve showed that patients with low expression of EYA4 had a significantly shorter overall survival than those with high expression (log rank test, P = 0.008). Low expression of EYA4 (HR = 1.989, 95%CI = 1.090-3.62902, P = 0.025) was an independent biomarker for poor prognosis in CRC patients. Conclusion EYA4 expression is decreased in CRC patients and negatively correlated with aggressive tumor progression. EYA4 may be a potential prognostic biomarker for CRC.