Evidence mapPaperPMID 42437219Full record

ArticleCureus2026

A Comprehensive Pan-Cancer Analysis Revealing IGF2 Gene as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker.

Wala Abdallah, Ayman E Abbas, Amal H A Assed, Hiba Elrashid Yagoub, Samar Doleeb, Alaa Abdalla, Ahmed Hamid, Mohamed Alfaki

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Article in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Wala AbdallahMicrobiology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Nile University, Khartoum, SDN.
Ayman E AbbasPlastic Surgery, Burjeel Medical City, Abu Dhabi, ARE.
Amal H A AssedEndemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, SDN.
Hiba Elrashid YagoubOncology, National Cancer Institute, University of Gezira, Wad Madani, SDN.
Samar DoleebBiotechnology, Fergusson College (Autonomous), Pune, IND.
Alaa AbdallaCardiology, Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery, Khartoum, SDN.
Ahmed HamidCollege of Pharmacy, National Ribat University, Khartoum, SDN.
Mohamed AlfakiComputer Science, Al-Neelain University, Khartoum, SDN.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCancer, one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, is driven by genetic alterations promoting uncontrolled cell growth and metastasis. Among these genetic players, the insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) gene has emerged as a significant factor in tumorigenesis. IGF2, a growth factor primarily produced in the liver, interacts with insulin and IGF receptors, influencing cell proliferation and survival. IGF2 is a known driver in fetal development and specific hepatic malignancies; its multi-omic diagnostic, prognostic, and immunological landscapes across diverse tissue barriers remain unmapped. This study presents a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis to systematically define the biomarker potential and epigenetic regulation of IGF2 across multiple human cancers.

methodsWe utilized various bioinformatic platforms, including Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), UALCAN, and cBioPortal, to assess IGF2 gene expression and mutation profiles. Immune infiltration analysis evaluated IGF2's role in tumor-immune interactions. Gene expression data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases were analyzed, and findings were validated using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was applied to investigate the correlation between IGF2 expression and overall survival in different cancers.

resultsIGF2 was significantly upregulated in cholangiocarcinoma (CHOL), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC), kidney chromophobe (KICH), and stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) with P-values of 3.72E-05, 3.30-E08, 1.60E-03, and 1.43E-04, respectively. Survival analysis revealed that elevated IGF2 expression was associated with good prognosis in kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP) (P = 7.2E-05). Immune infiltration analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between IGF2 expression and the presence of macrophages and CD4+ T cells in STAD (P = 1.30E-10, 2.61E-06, respectively), suggesting a role in modulating the tumor immune microenvironment. Genetic alterations in IGF2 were observed in multiple cancers, with missense mutations and deep deletions being the most prevalent. Patients with IGF2 mutations showed a trend toward poorer survival outcomes compared to those without mutations; however, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.384).

conclusionThis study revealed that IGF2 plays a potential role as a diagnostic biomarker for CHOL, KICH, LIHC, and STAD and a prognostic biomarker role in KIRP.

Indexed as

diagnostic biomarkerexpression analysisigf2pan-cancer analysisprognostic biomarker

Identifiers

PMID42437219
PMCPMC13355938

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