We subsequently validated the upregulated gene panel in the Cancer Genome Atlas CRC datasets (379 patients), which identified a five-gene signature (S100A2, VIP, HOXC6, DACT1, KIF26B) associated with poor overall survival (OS, log-rank test P-value: 1.19 × 10−4) and poor disease-free survival (DFS, log-rank test P-value: 0.002). Here, HOXC6 is linked to colorectal carcinoma.