CLCF1 is associated with perineurial invasion and prognosis in colorectal cancer

Perineural invasion (PNI) is implicated in tumor invasion, metastasis, cancer-related pain, and adverse clinical outcomes across various malignancies. Nonetheless, the core genes and molecular mechanisms underlying PNI in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain inadequately understood. The objective of our study was to identify key genes associated with PNI in CRC through bioinformatic analysis. Transcriptomic and clinical data for CRC were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Using the limma package, we identified 2,446 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between CRC samples with and without PNI. Additionally, 1,793 immune-related genes (IRGs) were obtained from the ImmPort database. The intersection of differentially expressed immune-related genes (DEIRGs) was subsequently employed for functional enrichment analysis and the development of risk models. A novel prognostic model related to PNI was successfully developed and validated, demonstrating its independent prognostic value in CRC. Cardiotrophin-like cytokine factor 1 (CLCF1) was identified as a key prognostic marker associated with PNI in CRC, with elevated expression observed in tumor samples. CLCF1 was shown to enhance the proliferation, invasion, and migration capabilities of CRC cells, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target for CRC.