Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. May 7, 2025; 31(17): 104794
Published online May 7, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i17.104794
Triglyceride-glucose index as a prognostic indicator in advanced gastric cancer: Insights and future research
Cheng-Fei Zhao, Xiao-Ling Liu, Ning-Bi Wu, Zhi-Feng Xu
Cheng-Fei Zhao, Xiao-Ling Liu, Ning-Bi Wu, School of Pharmacy and Medical Technology, Putian University, Putian 351100, Fujian Province, China
Cheng-Fei Zhao, Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Analysis and Laboratory Medicine in University of Fujian Province, Putian University, Putian 351100, Fujian Province, China
Zhi-Feng Xu, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Putian University, Putian 351100, Fujian Province, China
Co-first authors: Cheng-Fei Zhao and Xiao-Ling Liu.
Author contributions: Zhao CF and Xu ZF designed this paper; Zhao CF and Liu XL wrote the paper; Zhao CF, Liu XL, Wu NB, and Xu ZF checked and proofread the paper, and searched related literature and information for this paper; all the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province, No. 2023J01160; Scientific Research Project of Putian University, No. 2022059; and Special Project for Outstanding Young Talents of Putian University, No. 2024072.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zhi-Feng Xu, Chief Physician, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Putian University, No. 999 Dongzhen Road, Licheng District, Putian 351100, Fujian Province, China. zhifengxu1972@163.com
Received: January 2, 2025
Revised: March 29, 2025
Accepted: April 18, 2025
Published online: May 7, 2025
Processing time: 117 Days and 23.7 Hours
Abstract

Gastric cancer (GC), the fifth most common malignancy worldwide, poses a substantial challenge in clinical oncology, particularly in its advanced stages. Despite advancements in immunotherapy, patient prognosis remains poor, underscoring the need for reliable prognostic tools to refine treatment strategies. A study by Yao et al explores the role of the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index as a prognostic marker for advanced GC patients receiving immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy. The results of the study demonstrate that the TyG index correlates with improved survival outcomes, including better progression-free survival and overall survival. This editorial critically evaluates the significance of these findings, discusses their implications for future research, and highlights innovative directions that could drive further breakthroughs in the application of the TyG index to cancer therapy. This editorial also highlights the potential of TyG in advancing precision oncology and advocates for global validation and mechanistic investigations to further solidify its clinical utility. Future research should focus on validating the TyG index across various malignancies, exploring its potential to influence immunotherapy through metabolic interventions, and developing multi-biomarker models that integrate TyG with immune and genomic profiles.

Keywords: Advanced gastric cancer; Triglyceride-glucose index; Prognostic indicator; Immunotherapy; Insulin resistance

Core Tip: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most prevalent and deadly cancers worldwide, with advanced stages associated with poor survival outcomes. The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a comprehensive statistical measure that incorporates fasting triglyceride and fasting glucose levels. Yao et al reported the effect of the TyG index on the prognosis of advanced GC patients undergoing combination therapy with sintilimab (a programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor) and chemotherapy. This editorial critically analyzes the study’s clinical significance, its potential for enhancing personalized treatment strategies, and the innovative future research directions that could solidify the role of the TyG index in clinical oncology.