SORT1 and colorectal neoplasm: Moreover, ex vivo quantification of sortilin in tissues from 133 patients with benign (n = 7) or colorectal tumours from three tumour grades (n = 8, 98, and 20 for I, II, and III, respectively) revealed a positive correlation of sortilin protein expression with tumour grade (Figure 5D) while a simple upward trend was observed for CRC stages (data not shown).