Fig 1: Increased expression of CD44, CPT1A, CXCL8 and STC1 in GC tissues, serum and stroma are associated with poor prognosis of GC patients and LNM. A The expression of ENG, THY1, NT5E, CD44, CPT1A, IL-8 and STC1 in TCGA GC tumor and GTEx normal stomach tissues. B Diagnostic value of CD44, CPT1A, IL-8 and STC1 for GC. C–F Kaplan–Meier analysis of IL-8 and STC1 association with OS of MSC enriched and decreased GC patients. G Forest plot of specific molecules effect on OS of GC patients. H–J Comparison of serum CD44, IL-8 and STC1 concentration between healthy people and GC patients. K Diagnostic value of serum CD44 and STC1 for GC. L–N The mRNA levels of IL-8 and STC1 in BM-MSCs and GC-MSCs were detected by RT-qPCR. O Correlation of CPT1A with IL-8 and STC1 in MSCs. P–S IHC staining analysis of primary tumor sites in GC patients with or without LNM. P, Q Representative images. R IHC staining scores of CD44, CPT1A, IL-8, and STC1 in GC stroma (n = 5 samples for each group). S Correlation of CPT1A with IL-8 and STC1 in CD105 positive stromal cells. Data are shown as the mean ± SEM. Non-significant (ns) P > 0.05; *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001