Identification and validation of extracellular matrix-related genes in the progression of gastric cancer with intestinal metaplasia

Comprehensive analysis suggested that a model incorporating clinical tumor node metastasis staging, age, and <i>SPARC</i>/<i>SERPINE1</i> expression served as a prognostic predictor for GC. Moreover, elevated SPARC expression in IM and GC suggests its potential as a proper biomarker to detect GC in early stage and as a novel therapeutic target, guiding clinical applications.