As exemplified by FABP4 (Fig. 4E), strong protein staining in normal tissues contrasted with marked reduction in CRC, while survival analysis from the Kaplan–Meier Plotter revealed prolonged survival in the low-expression group (n = 729) versus rapid decline in the high-expression cohort (n = 332; p = 1.2e − 6)—validating its high-risk role in the prognostic model (univariate Cox HR = 2.3, p = 2.67e − 5) and confirming biomarker robustness (Fig. 4F). The gene discussed is FABP4; the disease is colorectal carcinoma.