Research has established a strong association between IL-18 expression and glioma progression, particularly within the tumor microenvironment, where it stimulates macrophages and other immune cells to release pro-inflammatory cytokines, thereby promoting tumor cell proliferation and metastasis (Ji et al., 2024; Sun et al., 2023; Thanasupawat et al., 2024). The gene discussed is IL18; the disease is neoplasm.