HOXC6 and rectum adenocarcinoma: QRT-PCR of 5 core genes in 20 pairs of rectal adenocarcinoma tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues revealed that MATR3 expression was different in rectal adenocarcinoma tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues, with a p value of 0.0369, while APOL6, HOXC6, JOSD1, and TOP2A expression was not different in rectal adenocarcinoma tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues, with P values of 0.1394, 0.1694, 0.0574, and 0.0546, respectively (Fig. 15A–E).