Fig. 2

Expression of MT2A is correlated with clinicopathological characteristics in CRC. A CRC patients who underwent surgery were included in our analysis, and IHC staining was used to compare the expression of MT2A in cancer and paracancerous tissues. B The staining score of MT2A was analyzed by two pathologists and expressed as frequency. The results showed that MT2A in cancer tissues was significantly decreased compared to paracancerous tissues (n = 65). C When stratified by T stage, no significant difference was observed between stages 1/2 (n = 35) and stage 3/4 (n = 30). D When stratified by M stage, M1 stage (n = 20) showed significantly lower expression of MT2A than M0 stage (n = 45). E When stratified by N stage, N1 stage (n = 22) showed significantly lower expression of MT2A than N0 stage (n = 28). F When stratified by TNM stage, stage III (n = 34) showed no significant expression of MT2A than stage I/II (n = 31), p = 0.1363. Scale bar = 100 μm. Can, cancer; Para, paracancerous; ns, no significance. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001