The Prognostic Role of Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin and Kidney Injury Molecule-1 Expressions in Gastric Carcinomas

<b>Background:</b> The survival rate among stomach adenocarcinoma patients is exceedingly low. NGAL (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) has pivotal roles in cell proliferation, immunity, and tumorigenesis. KIM-1 (Kidney Injury Molecule-1), also referred to as TIM-1 and HAVcr-1, is a transmembrane glycoprotein located in healthy immune cells and epithelial cells, and its upregulated form is generally found in several human cancers. <b>Aim:</b> The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of the expression of KIM-1 and NGAL in stomach cancers and identify NGAL-positive inflammatory cells in the tumor microenvironment. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> We immunohistochemically evaluated the expression of NGAL and KIM1 in 172 cases of stomach adenocarcinomas. <b>Result:</b> The mean age of the patients was 64.07 ± 12.35 years, and the mean and median follow-up period were 25.5 and 20.3 months, respectively. The expression rates of KIM-1 and NGAL in tumor cells were identical at 31.4% (n = 54). In 27 of these cases, both proteins were present. Among the deceased patients, the rate of simultaneous KIM-1 and NGAL positivity was relatively higher (<i>p</i> = 0.041). NGAL-positive inflammatory cells were observed in 13.4% of cases, with no significant correlation between these cells and survival times (<i>p</i> = 0.497). However, there was a negative correlation between survival times and KIM-1 (<i>p</i> = 0.037) and NGAL (<i>p</i> = 0.016) expressions in tumor cells. <b>Conclusions:</b> The present study has shown that KIM-1- and NGAL-positive tumor cells are influential in gastric tumorigenesis. Given the progress in anti-KIM-1 therapy, the presence of KIM-1 expression could contribute to the development of new treatment options for aggressive gastric cancer. However, these discoveries need to be validated in larger-scale studies.