Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) has seriously endangered human health. Despite significant advances in clinical treatment of CRC in recent years, clinically effective treatment options for CRC patients remain rare. Therefore, reducing the incidence and mortality of CRC is still a worldwide concern. This study aims to explore the clinical significance of lactamase beta (LACTB)-like expression in CRC tissues. Materials and Methods: The expression of LACTB in CRC tissues and adjacent tissues in The Cancer Genome Atlas database was analyzed and the analysis results were verified by immunohistochemistry. The correlation between the expression level of LACTB and pathological factors and prognosis was analyzed. Results: There was statistical difference in the expression of LACTB in CRC tissues and adjacent tissues (p < 0.01). The expression of LACTB in CRC tissues was correlated with clinical stage (p < 0.01). The expression of LACTB in CRC patients with lymph node metastasis was significantly lower than that in CRC patients without lymph node metastasis (p < 0.01). Low expression of LACTB contributed to the poor prognosis of CRC patients. The 5-year survival rate of CRC patients with low LACTB expression was significantly lower than that of CRC patients with high LACTB expression (p = 0.010, p = 0.047). Conclusions: The expression of LACTB in CRC tissues was significantly lower than that in normal tissues, and it was significantly correlated with clinical prognosis, suggesting that LACTB could inhibit the CRC invasion and metastasis. This indicated to some extent that LACTB could be used as a prognostic marker and a new therapeutic target for CRC.
Keywords: LACTB; colorectal cancer; lymph node metastasis; prognosis.