In a cohort study of 75 patients including GC and peptic ulcer (PU), the mean value of FGF18 in GC was significantly higher than that of normal people, and the level of FGF18 in GC patients was 2.4 times higher than that in gastric ulcer (GU) or PU patients, potentially regulating the progression of GU to GC (46, 47). Here, FGF18 is linked to gastric cancer.