Marker expression in HFE and non-HFE groups
| Process | Non-HFE, n /N (%) | HFE, n/N (%) | P value | |
| EpCAM | CSC | 2/11 (18) | 8/11 (72) | 0.030 |
| SALL4 | CSC | 2/11 (18) | 6/11 (55) | 0.183 |
| EpCAM/SALL4 coexpression | CSC | 0/11 (0) | 5/11 (45) | 0.035 |
| CD44 | CSC and EMT | 7/11 (64) | 9/11 (81) | 0.635 |
| Vimentin | EMT | 1/11 (9) | 6/11 (55) | 0.063 |
| β-catenin | EMT | 10/11 (91) | 6/11 (55) | 0.149 |
| E-cadherin* | EMT | 8/11 (72) | 8/11 (72) | 1.000 |
| CK18* | EMT | 3/11 (27) | 8/11 (73) | 0.086 |
*Expression ≥5 on a scale of 0–9.
CSC, cancer stem cells; EMT, epithelial–mesenchymal transition; EpCAM, epithelial cell adhesion molecule; HFE, haemochromatosis; SALL4, spalt-like transcription factor 4.