HSF4 and colorectal carcinoma: To further elucidate the clinical significance of HSF4 expression in CRC, we performed immunohistochemistry (IHC) for HSF4 on samples from 107 patients in our study cohort, with representative images shown in Fig. 3E. In this cohort, we observed higher HSF4 protein expression in metastatic lymph nodes, with its positivity rate increasing with more advanced T stages.