AXIN2 and cancer: Furthermore, a hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that the mRNA levels of CCND1, Axin2 and c-MYC significantly increased as the cancer progressed, whereas the mRNA levels of VGLL4 at the late stage of CRC (stage III and IV) were significantly less than the mRNA levels at the early stage (stage III and IV) of the disease (Fig. 2e).