Identification of IGF2BP3 for the Expression and Prognosis in Gastrointestinal Cancers

Purpose: This study investigates the expression, diagnostic, and prognostic significance of IGF2BP3 in gastrointestinal cancers, providing new insights for clinical management and patient care. Methods: An integrated approach was used to analyze the expression and mutation of IGF2BP3 across various cancers, utilizing multiple online analytical tools. Data from the TCGA database were examined to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in four types of gastrointestinal cancers and to assess the specific expression of IGF2BP3. Further validation was carried out through western blotting (WB), quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was also employed to investigate the relationships between IGF2BP3 and its associated genes. Additionally, bioinformatics databases were used to investigate the impact of IGF2BP3 on the diagnosis and prognosis of these cancers. Results: High expression of IGF2BP3 is a notable feature across these four gastrointestinal cancers, as demonstrated in public databases. Confirmation in cancer cells and tissues support this observation. Clinicopathological analysis reveals significant associations between IGF2BP3 expression and cancer stages in gastric cancer, and with cancer grades in liver cancer. The diagnostic accuracy of IGF2BP3 is found to be highest for esophageal cancer. Moreover, elevated IGF2BP3 levels correlate with poorer overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in liver cancer patients. Conclusions: This study underscores the significant expression of IGF2BP3 in gastrointestinal cancers and its potential value in both diagnostic and prognostic assessments. These findings could enhance diagnostic accuracy and support the development of targeted therapeutic strategies.