A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model using variables associated with survival in our study (depth of wall invasion, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion, distant metastasis, tumor location and PRL-3 expression) revealed that although the impact of PRL-3 on survival was less evident than vascular invasion (HR: 7.973, P = 0.011), tumor invasion (HR: 2.578, P = 0.020), and lymph node metastasis (HR: 5.520, P = 0.004), the risk of patients with positive PRL-3 expression dying from the disease was still 2.088 times higher than those with negative PRL-3 expression (P = 0.027). This evidence concerns the gene PTP4A3 and metastatic malignant neoplasm in the lymph nodes.