Alteration in Serum Levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Is Associated With Histopathologic Progression of Gastric Cancer Publisher Pubmed



Alikhani M¹ ; Esmaeili M¹ ; Tashakoripour M² ; Mohagheghi MA³ ; Hosseini ME² ; Touati E⁴ ; Vosough M⁵ ; Mohammadi M¹
Source: Iranian Biomedical Journal Published:2023

Abstract

Background: The role of inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-8, in gastric carcinogenesis has been investigated, but their impact remains to be further elucidated. Methods: In this study, we measured the serum concentrations of these cytokines and H. pylori serostatus in dyspeptic patients, presenting with normal mucosa (NM = 53), chronic gastritis (CG = 94), and gastric cancer (GC = 82), by ELISA. Results: Moderate levels of TNF-α were detected in the NM group (19.9 ± 19.5 pg/ml), which were nearly doubled in patients with CG (35.7 ± 28.0 pg/ml) and drastically declined in GC patients (1.8 ± 5.9 pg/ml). The serum levels of IL-8, however, were not statistically different amongst these three groups. Conclusion: TNF-α serum concentration seemed to undergo up-and downregulation, when moving from NM to CG and from CG to GC, respectively. If confirmed in a prospective study, this cytokine can behave as a serum indicator of gastric inflammation and malignant transformation. © 2023, Pasteur Institute of Iran. All rights reserved.