Abstract:Objective To analyze the correlation of serum NK cell activation receptor (NKG2D) and IFN-γ (IFN-γ) levels with the severity and prognosis of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients.Methods A total of 150 NSCLC patients admitted to Cangzhou Central Hospital from May 2020 to May 2021 were selected as research subjects and divided into group I/Ⅱ (50 cases) and group Ⅲ/Ⅳ (100 cases) according to TNM staging criteria. The two groups of serum NKG2D, IFN-γ, tumor markers [carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), human cytokeratin 21-1 fragment (CYFRA21-1), sugar antigen 125 (CA125)], and 6-month survival rate were recorded. Bivariate Pearson linear correlation was used to test serum NKG2D, IFN-γ, and tumor markers. the serum levels of NKG2D and IFN in different prognosis NSCLC patients were compared to draw the ROC curve, and the value of serum NKG2D, IFN-γ and both combined to predict the prognostic value of NSCLC patients were analyzed.Results Serum NKG2D in stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ group [(67.12 ± 5.28)%] was lower than that in stage I/Ⅱ group [(81.50 ± 7.33)%] (P < 0.05). Serum IFN-γ [(23.67 ± 5.74)ng/mL], CEA [(43.76 ± 6.48)ng/mL], CA125 [(35.62 ± 6.03)u/mL], CYFRA21-1 [ (11.69 ± 1.86) ng/mL] in stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ group were higher than those in stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ group [ (17.91 ± 4.82) ng/mL, (21.53 ± 4.62) ng/mL, (23.59 ± 5.17) u/mL, (6.84 ± 1.12) ng/mL] (P < 0.05); Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum NKG2D was negatively correlated with CEA level (r = -0.683), CA125 level (r = -0.615), and CYFRA21-1 level (r = -0.704) (P < 0.05). IFN-γ was positively correlated with CEA level (r = 0.512), CA125 level (r = 0.439), and CYFRA21-1 level (r = 0.543) (P < 0.05). The overall mortality rate in 150 patients with NSCLC was 22.67%(34/150). The mortality rates within six months in the stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ group were 28.00% (28/100), while those in the stage I/Ⅱ group were 12.00% (6/50) within six months. The difference was statistically significant with χ2 test (χ2 = 4.868, P = 0.027). Serum NKG2D [ (58.58 ± 5.62) % in the death group was lower than that in the non-death group [ (84.23 ± 4.39) %], and serum IFN-γ [ (29.93 ± 3.17) ng/mL] was higher than that in the non-death group [ (20.95 ± 2.20) ng/mL] (P < 0.05). The ROC curve results showed that the AUC of IFN-γ, NKG2D, and both combined outcome prediction outcomes was 0.780 (95% CI: 0.673, 0.942), 0.820 (95% CI: 0.675, 0.955), and 0.860 (95% CI: 0.761, 0.984) in NSCLC patients, respectively; the sensitivity were 78.1% (95% CI: 0.648, 0.892), 82.6% (95% CI: 0.713, 0.955), 86.5% (95% CI: 0.752, 0.978); the specificity were 51.3% (95% CI: 0.443, 0.714), 53.6% (95% CI: 0.467, 0.735), 41.5% (95% CI: 0.328, 0.616).Conclusion The levels of serum NKG2D and IFN-γ are related to the severity of NSCLC and the levels of tumor markers, and the combination of the two can effectively predict the early prognosis of NSCLC.