The lack of reliable plasma biomarkers limits their use in the diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC). The current study aimed to determine whether plasma nesfatin-1 can be used as a novel non-invasive biomarker for the diagnosis of GC. The levels of nesfatin-1 in 40 patients with GC and 40 healthy individuals, who were selected from the Chaohu Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, were assessed. ELISA was used for the measurement of plasma nesfatin-1 levels, while immunohistochemistry was applied to determine Ki67 protein expression in GC and normal gastric tissues. The diagnostic value of plasma nesfatin-1 for GC was further assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The results revealed that, compared with the controls, the mean nesfatin-1 levels in patients with GC were significantly increased. Furthermore, the protein expression of Ki67 in GC tissue was significantly upregulated compared with that in normal gastric tissue. Plasma nesfatin-1 levels were also demonstrated to be correlated with Ki67 protein expression in GC tissues. Additionally, ROC curve analysis indicated the potential diagnostic value of nesfatin-1, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for nesfatin-1 was 0.857 (95% confidence interval, 0.769-0.946). At a threshold nesfatin-1 level of 1.075 ng/ml, the optimal sensitivity and specificity were 70.0 and 95.0%, respectively, in discriminating patients with GC from healthy controls. These results indicated that plasma nesfatin-1 may serve as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of GC and determination of GC cell proliferation.

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KISS1 and KISS1R, a novel pair of metastasis suppressors, are likely to be associated with the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, a meta‐analysis was performed to study the role of KISS1 and KISS1R in CRC. Heterogeneity, stability and publication bias were all estimated. Six publications describing a total of 559 CRC patients were included in the present study. Low KISS1 expression predicted 70% higher risk of poor prognosis for general patients (HR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.28–2.29) and 99% higher risk for East Asian patients (HR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.46–2.72). Limited evidence indicated that decreased KISS1R expression might predict poor outcome (HR, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.51–5.82). Neither heterogeneity nor publication bias was identified. The current analyses suggest that low KISS1 expression predicts poor overall survival among East Asian patients with CRC. Evidence on other races and KISS1R are still insufficient, and additional studies are required to clarify the risk of CRC associated with KISS1R by race.

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