ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Cancer Endocrinology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1592788
This article is part of the Research TopicAltered Metabolic Traits in Gastrointestinal Tract Cancers, volume IIView all 3 articles
The Triglyceride-Glucose Index Associated with Reduced Risk of Liver Metastasis in Pancreatic Cancer
Provisionally accepted
Taijun Yi1,2
Zejin Lin1,2Ziyan Mai1,2Yongling Liang1,2Chengrui Zhong1,2Xingyu Li1,2Wandi Wang1,2Xiaoyue Huang1,2
Zeyu Lin1,2
Yunle Wan1,2*
Guolin Li1,2*- 1Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
- 2Biomedical Innovation Center, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has emerged as a reliable surrogate marker for insulin resistance and is associated with multiple malignancies. However, its role in pancreatic cancer liver metastasis (PCLM) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between TyG index and PCLM and evaluate its predictive value for PCLM.Methods: This study enrolled 172 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between 2021 and 2024. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were employed. Logistic regression, propensity score matching (PSM) and subgroup analysis were utilized to assess the relationship between TyG index and PCLM, and a predictive model was constructed. Kaplan-Meier curves and cox proportional hazards regression analysis were conducted to assess the impact on liver metastasis. LASSO regression and Firth regression were conducted to avoid over-fitting issue. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) were applied to explore the nonlinear relationship.Results: A significant inverse association was observed between TyG index level and PCLM incidence. Both multivariate logistic and cox regression suggested that a lower TyG index is associated with an increased risk of PCLM. A nomogram model was established and possessed a moderate degree of predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.67-0.82). Notably, similar conclusions were reached in the subgroup of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.Comprehensive analysis suggest that higher TyG index level is associated with reduced risk for PCLM, offering significant guidance for the prediction and early intervention of PCLM.
Keywords: TyG index, Pancreatic Cancer, liver metastasis, tumor pathology, Prediction model
Received: 13 Mar 2025; Accepted: 27 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yi, Lin, Mai, Liang, Zhong, Li, Wang, Huang, Lin, Wan and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yunle Wan, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510610, Guangdong Province, China
Guolin Li, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510610, Guangdong Province, China
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