Resumen
The oncofetal protein OCT4 is a factor that promotes self-renewal and maintenance of pluripotency of embryonic stem cells and induced stem cells, which has been linked to neoplastic processes, but its role and clinical significance in rectal cancer are unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of the stem cell marker OCT4 related to clinical-pathological characteristics and its clinical significance in rectal cancer patients. Protein expression of the stem cell marker OCT4 was found in rectal tumor tissue but not in adjacent non-tumor tissue, and high expression was significantly associated with phenotypical characteristics of more aggressive rectal cancer.