High expression of eukaryotic initiation factor 3M predicts poor prognosis in colon adenocarcinoma patients

Eukaryotic initiation factor 3 subunit M (EIF3M) is required for key steps in the initiation of protein synthesis, and dysregulation of EIF3M is associated with tumorigenesis. This study aimed to explore the clinicopathological and prognostic role of EIF3M in patients with colon adenocarcinoma. A total of 82 pathology specimens, 20 freeze-thawed tumors and 80 healthy controls were used to investigate the expression of EIF3M in colon adenocarcinoma through immunohistochemistry, western blotting, RT-qPCR and ELISA. In addition, Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis were used to analyze overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Furthermore, the Oncomine database was used for analyzing EIF3M expression. The positive rate of EIF3M in colon adenocarcinoma was higher compared with that in normal colon tissues (62.20% vs. 29.27%; P<0.001). The mean score of EIF3M was also higher in colon adenocarcinoma compared with normal colon tissue (17.28±10.05 vs. 6.53±4.87; P<0.001). The levels of EIF3M expression in freeze-thawed tumors and serum from 20 patients with colon adenocarcinoma were higher than those in normal tissues and serum from healthy controls, respectively (P<0.001). In addition, positive expression of EIF3M was associated with tumor size (P=0.002) and Dukes' stage (P<0.001). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, EIF3M expression was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P=0.003) and DFS (P=0.001). Oncomine database analysis showed a higher expression of EIF3M expression in colon adenocarcinoma compared with normal colon tissues, colon squamous cell carcinomas or gastrointestinal stromal tumors. In conclusion, EIF3M expression was associated with tumor size and Dukes' stage in colon adenocarcinoma. Hence, EIF3M is a potential prognostic indicator for colon adenocarcinoma.