Correlation of Serum IL-17, VEGF, and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) Levels with Prognosis of Gastric Cancer.

Objective: To investigate the correlation of serum interleukin-17 (IL-17), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels with the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.

Methods: From December 2018 to December 2020, 45 patients with gastric cancer treated in our hospital and 50 healthy individuals were assessed for eligibility and recruited. The eligible patients were assigned to an observation group, and the healthy subjects were assigned to a control group. Serum IL-17, LDH, and VEGF levels of the eligible participants were determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and biochemical testing. The association of serum IL-7, LDH, and VEGF levels with their pathological characteristics was examined in the observation group. The correlation between serum IL-17 and VEGF was analyzed using the Pearson method, and regression models were established using COX proportional risk to explore the independent risk factors for gastric cancer.

Results: Gastric cancer was associated with higher levels of IL-17, LDH, and VEGF versus a healthy status ( < 0.05). There was no significant difference in serum IL-17, LDH, and VEGF levels between the two groups of patients with different clinical characteristics ( > 0.05). Higher tumor TNM stages resulted in significantly higher levels of IL-17, LDH, and VEGF ( < 0.05). Serum IL-17 level was positively correlated with VEGF level ( < 0.05). Cox regression multifactorial analysis showed that serum IL-17, LDH, VEGF, and tumor TNM stages could be independent high-risk influencing factors for gastric cancer ( < 0.05). Serum IL-17 was positively correlated with VEGF levels in patients with gastric cancer.

Conclusion: Serum IL-17, LDH, and VEGF levels in gastric cancer patients are closely correlated with the TNM stage and patients' prognosis, both of which show great potential as effective indicators for evaluating the prognosis of gastric cancer.