Expression patterns and clinical significance of the potential cancer stem cell markers OCT4 and NANOG in colorectal cancer patients.

Our observations indicated that higher expression of OCT4 and NANOG can confer malignant and aggressive behavior to CRC. Evaluation of the co-expression of these cancer stem cell markers can serve a new diagnostic and prognostic approach in CRC patients. These findings also suggested that simultaneous expression of OCT4 and NANOG can be considered as a therapeutic marker for targeted therapy of CRC, especially in advanced stages.