Evaluation of the Serum Levels of TNF-α and Interleukin-6 as Potential Diagnostic Biomarkers in the First-Degree Relatives of Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Case-Control Study

Gastric cancer is one of the most prevalent ones with high incidence and mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) as potential diagnostic biomarkers in the first-degree relatives of patients with gastric cancer.
The present work is a case-control study (case, n = 90; control, n = 90). The cases were selected from the first-degree relatives of the gastric cancer patients referred to Kosar Hospital of Semnan city, Iran, during 2019, consecutively. The controls were; however, a random sample from all the healthy people referred to Blood Transfusion Center of Semnan city in the same year. Demographic, laboratory, and pathological variables were collected from both groups. The levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were measured with ELISA method via platinum ELISA-8-11 kits. STATA 14 software was used for data analysis.
In the case and control groups, 74.44 and 78.79% were male, respectively. Their mean age (SD) was 39.17 (10.75) and 36.16 (10.19) in the case and control groups, respectively. Based on the multivariable logistic regression model, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of TNF-α (OR = 1.15; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02 – 1.30) and smoking (odds ratio (OR) = 3.57; 95% CI: 1.48 – 8.64). However, no statistically significant difference was seen between them concerning the level of IL-6 (OR = 1.0004; 95% CI: 0.97 – 1.03).
Increased levels of TNF-α might be useful as diagnostic biomarkers in the first-degree relatives of patients with gastric cancer; nonetheless, studies with larger sample size are required.