Prognostic and diagnostic significance of annexin A2 in colorectal cancer

Aim Annexin A 2 ( ANXA 2) is known to be a tumourigenic molecule and is highly expressed in colorectal cancer ( CRC ). Its diagnostic and prognostic value is not fully understood. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between ANXA 2 expression, clinicopathological characteristics, tumour recurrence and survival. Method Immunohistochemical staining was used to evaluate ANXA 2 expression in 150 matched samples from patients with CRC . Overall survival and recurrence were determined by Kaplan–Meier analysis. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine independent factors contributing to survival and recurrence. Receiver operating characteristic ( ROC ) curve and liner correlation analysis were used to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of ANXA 2 expression for clinical diagnosis. Results ANXA 2 was found to be strongly expressed in poorly differentiated tumours ( P  <   0.001), late stage ( P  =   0.020) and lymph node positivity ( P  =   0.002). ANXA 2 expression was significantly related to recurrence ( P  <   0.001) and survival ( P  =   0.002). The Cox proportional hazards model indicated that ANXA 2 expression [ P  <   0.001, hazard ratio ( HR ) = 1.366, 95% CI 1.232–1.515] and tumour location ( P  =   0.039, HR  = 1.891, 95% CI 1.034–3.456) were independent factors in predicting overall survival while ANXA 2 expression ( P  <   0.001, HR  = 1.445, 95% CI 1.222–1.709) were independent factors predicting recurrence. Receiver operating characteristic ( ROC ) ( AUC  = 0.768, 95% CI = 0.642–0.894) and liner correlation analysis suggested that ANXA 2 was suitable for the clinical diagnosis of CRC . Conclusion These results indicate that ANXA 2 is a biomarker with diagnostic and prognostic potential for patients with CRC .