Abstract:Objective To explore the predictive value of serum soluble B7-H3 (sB7-H3) and Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1) for recurrence in patients with early gastric cancer (EGC) after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).Methods 133 EGC patients who received ESD treatment from December 2021 to December 2023 were selected as the EGC group, and 133 healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations during the same period were selected as the control group. The expression levels of serum sB7-H3 and DKK1 were compared between the two groups. According to whether there was recurrence after ESD in EGC patients, the patients were further divided into the recurrence group and the non-recurrence group. A multivariate Logistic regression model was used to analyze the independent risk factors influencing recurrence after ESD in EGC patients. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn to analyze the predictive value of serum sB7-H3 and DKK1 for recurrence after ESD.Results The levels of serum sB7-H3 and DKK1 in the EGC group were significantly higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The levels of serum sB7-H3 and DKK1 in the recurrence group were significantly higher than those in the non-recurrence group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the depth of invasion was submucosal (OR^ = 4.228, 95%CI:1.874 ~ 9.537), the level of serum sB7-H3 was high (OR^ = 4.925, 95%CI:1.999 ~ 12.133), and the level of DKK1 was high (OR^ = 5.262, 95%CI:1.933 ~ 14.326) were independent risk factors for recurrence of EGC patients after ESD (P < 0.05). ROC curve showed that the combined detection of serum sB7-H3 and DKK1 had an AUC of 0.878 (95%CI: 0.810 ~ 0.928) for predicting recurrence after ESD, which was significantly greater than the AUC predicted by serum sB7-H3 and DKK1 alone (Z = 2.61, P = 0.009; Z = 2.75, P = 0.006).Conclusion Elevated levels of serum sB7-H3 and DKK1 are independent risk factors affecting the recurrence of EGC patients after ESD. The combined detection of the two has a high clinical application value in predicting the recurrence of EGC patients after ESD.