Statistical analysis revealed that relative NEAT1 expression in colorectal cancer was significantly associated with tumor differentiation status, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and advanced TNM stage for high NEAT1 expression was more frequently to be detected in colorectal cancer with poor differentiation, deep invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and advanced TNM stage, indicating that NEAT1 might play a oncogenic role in colorectal cancer differentiation, invasion and metastasis. Here, NEAT1 is linked to metastatic malignant neoplasm in the lymph nodes.