Among these proteins, trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) was increased in the EGC group compared with that in the IM/ATP group, which is involved in multiple aspects of cancer progression (Yang et al., 2022) and has been reported to be increased in serum samples from patients with GC (Aikou et al., 2011) and more severe IM stages (Lee et al., 2022). This evidence concerns the gene TFF3 and cancer.