Accumulating evidence suggests that periostin is frequently upregulated in tissue injury,inflammation,fibrosis and tumor progression.Periostin expression in cancer cells can promote metastatic potential of colorectal cancer (CRC)via activating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.Moreover,periostin is observed mainly in tumor stroma and cytoplasm of cancer cells,which may facilitate aggressiveness of CRC.In this review,we summarize information regarding periostin to emphasize its role as a prognostic marker of CRC.