Li KB, Hu QZ, Li J, Li ZY, Feng KY, Ye M, Luo D, Zhang XY, Zhang S, Chen P. Correlation and clinical significance of hepcidin and STAT3 in colorectal cancer. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(6): 118336 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.118336]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Peng Chen, PhD, Department of Geriatrics, Gastroenterology Ward, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, No. 1 Panfu Road, Guangzhou 510180, Guangdong Province, China. p2830chenp@sina.com
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Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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research-article
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Li KB, Hu QZ, Li J, Li ZY, Feng KY, Ye M, Luo D, Zhang XY, Zhang S, Chen P. Correlation and clinical significance of hepcidin and STAT3 in colorectal cancer. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(6): 118336 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.118336]
World J Gastrointest Surg. Jun 27, 2026; 18(6): 118336 Published online Jun 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.118336
Correlation and clinical significance of hepcidin and STAT3 in colorectal cancer
Peng Chen, Shi Zhang, Xin-Yue Zhang, Duo Luo, Min Ye, Kai-Yu Feng, Zhong-Yan Li, Jie Li, Qiao-Zhen Hu, Kang-Bao Li
Kang-Bao Li, Qiao-Zhen Hu, Jie Li, Zhong-Yan Li, Kai-Yu Feng, Min Ye, Duo Luo, Xin-Yue Zhang, Peng Chen, Department of Geriatrics, Gastroenterology Ward, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510180, Guangdong Province, China
Shi Zhang, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, Guangdong Province, China
Co-first authors: Kang-Bao Li and Qiao-Zhen Hu.
Co-corresponding authors: Shi Zhang and Peng Chen.
Author contributions: Chen P and Zhang S designed the study and they contribute equally to this study as co-corresponding authors; Li KB and Hu QZ performed the experiments and wrote the manuscript and they contribute equally to this study as co-first authors; Li J and Li ZY collected the samples from patients; Feng KY and Ye M analyzed the data; Luo D and Zhang XY revised the manuscript; all authors approved the final version. The authors have declared no conflict of interest.
Supported by Guangzhou Science and Technology Program, No. 2024A03J1024, No. 2024A04J3997, and No. 2023A04J1271.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of the Guangzhou First People’s Hospital (Approval No. K-2023-145-02).
Informed consent statement: All patients provided written informed consent for participation in the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Peng Chen, PhD, Department of Geriatrics, Gastroenterology Ward, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, No. 1 Panfu Road, Guangzhou 510180, Guangdong Province, China. p2830chenp@sina.com
Received: February 10, 2026 Revised: March 5, 2026 Accepted: March 25, 2026 Published online: June 27, 2026 Processing time: 129 Days and 5.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Iron homeostasis, essential for many life processes, is maintained through a regulatory network centered on liver-synthesized hepcidin. Hepcidin controls iron output by binding to transferrin while performing multiple functions, including immune regulation. Colorectal cancer (CRC), a highly prevalent malignant tumor, is closely associated with iron metabolism disorders.
AIM
To investigate the expression profiling and characteristics of hepcidin and the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), iron metabolism indicators, in patients with CRC.
METHODS
The surgically resected pathological specimens of 58 CRC patients in the Guangzhou First People’s Hospital and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (January 2023 to January 2025) were collected for analysis. The adjacent normal intestinal mucosa tissues of the 20 patients with CRC served as the control group. Hepcidin and STAT3 underwent immunohistochemistry for expression quantification. The correlation between hepcidin, STAT3, and clinicopathological features was analyzed.
RESULTS
The hepcidin and STAT3 positive expression rates were statistically elevated in CRC tissues compared to normal intestinal mucosa tissues (67.2% and 63.8% vs 20.0% and 25.5%, P < 0.01). Hepcidin expression correlated markedly with T stage (P < 0.01), with statistical significance identified between well- and poorly differentiated groups (P < 0.01); it was slightly related to lymph node metastases, distant metastases, age, or gender. STAT3 expression varied statistically among patients with different lymph node metastasis (LNM) status and T staging (P < 0.01), with significant differences noted between poorly and well differentiated groups (P < 0.01); it showed no marked link with distant metastasis, age, and sex. Hepcidin and STAT3 were positively correlated (P < 0.01).
CONCLUSION
Hepcidin and STAT3, showing significantly upregulated expression in CRC tissues, were related to T staging. The two correlate with CRC occurrence and development, showing potential for predicting tumor malignancy extent, staging, and LNM status.
Core Tip: Iron metabolism disorders play a pivotal role in colorectal cancer (CRC) development and progression, with this disordered state closely associated with hepcidin and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) dysregulation. As a vital transcription factor, STAT3, upon activation, translocates to the cell nucleus and directly binds to the hepcidin gene promoter region, thereby upregulating hepcidin expression. Concurrently, CRC cells adapt to iron overload environments by modulating the expression of iron metabolism-related proteins. This study aims to investigate the expression profiling and characteristics of hepcidin and STAT3, iron metabolism indicators, in patients with CRC.
