Abstract
Background/AimDecreased Natural killer cell activity (NKA) for interferon-gamma production (NKA-IFNγ) has been reported in cancer patients. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic performance of NKA-IFNγ for gastric cancer (GC).ResultsNKA-IFNγ levels were decreased in 261 GC patients with all stages of tumor compared to those in 48 healthy donors (P < 0.001), and lower levels of NKA-IFNγ were associated with higher GC stages. NKA-IFNγ levels were also associated with clinicopathological parameters including tumor size, depth of invasion, and lymph node metastasis. NKA-INFγ assay had better diagnostic value (AUC = 0.822) compared to serum CEA (0.624) or CA19-9 assay (0.566) (P < 0.001). Using different cut-off levels, serum CEA and CA19-9 showed sensitivities of 6.1-14.2% and 4.2-28.0%, respectively, which were much lower than that of NKA-IFNγ (55.6-66.7%).MethodsThis study included 261 patients with newly diagnosed GC and 48 healthy donors. NKA for IFNγ was determined by enzyme immunoassay after incubation of whole blood, and diagnostic performance was evaluated.ConclusionsNK cell activities for IFNγ production could be used as a supportive non-invasive tumor marker for GC diagnosis.
Highlights
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most prevalent cancers
Natural killer (NK) cell activities for IFNγ production could be used as a supportive non-invasive tumor marker for GC diagnosis
GC patients had significantly lower Natural killer cell activity (NKA)-IFNγ levels compared to healthy donors [median: 204.8 (174.4 to 260.5) pg/mL vs. 1,520 (818.6-1970.1) pg/mL, P < 0.001]
Summary
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most prevalent cancers. It remains a major global public health problem [1]. Natural killer (NK) cells play a vital role in immune response to cancer by identifying and killing cancer cells with reduced or absent MHC-class I expression or by expressing stress-induced molecules [3, 4]. They have direct cytotoxicity through perforin and granzyme release, and they control immune response by secreting cytokines such as interferon-gamma (IFNγ) and tumor-necrosis factor-α [4]. Reports on the diagnostic value of NKA levels in cancer patients are limited due to variability and inconsistency in measurement of NKA levels
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