ILF2 protein is a promising serum biomarker for early detection of gastric cancer

Our previous small-sample study indicated that serum levels of interleukin enhancer binding factor 2 (ILF2) may have the potential for gastric cancer (GC) detection. The present study was conducted to further validate the diagnostic value of serum ILF2 protein for GC.

Serum specimens and clinical data were collected from patients with GC (n = 99) or benign gastric disease (BGD) (n = 49) and healthy controls (HC) (n = 51). Serum ILF2 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The diagnostic performance of ILF2 was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The independence and synergy of ILF2 in GC diagnosis were analyzed by modeling with conventional blood indicators.

The median serum ILF2 level was higher in the GC group (227.8ng/mL) than in the BGD group (72.0ng/mL) and the HC group (56.8ng/mL) (p < 0.001), and no significant difference across GC subgroups. The AUCs of ILF2 were 0.915 (95%CI 0.873–0.957) for GC vs. HC, 0.854 (95%CI 0.793–0.915) for GC vs. BGD, 0.885 (95%CI 0.841–0.929) for GC vs. BGD + HC, and 0.888 (95% CI 0.830–0.945) for TNM I stage GC vs. BGD + HC, outperforming conventional blood indicators (corresponding AUCs ranging from 0.641 to 0.782). ILF2 was independent of and synergistic with conventional blood indicators in GC diagnosis, and a simple diagnostic model based on ILF2 and red blood cell count improved the diagnostic performance, with positive rates of approximately 90% in various subgroups of GC.

Serum ILF2 protein is a novel and potential serum biomarker for the detection of GC, especially for early GC.