Guo J, et al. - Because cancer is recognised as an inflammation-associated condition, researchers evaluated the connection between the expression of interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5), a key transcription factor controlling inflammatory responses, and the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with the objective of identifying an early diagnosis warning biomarker. Using quantitative RT-PCR, flow cytometry, and a cytometric bead array, the expression of IRF5 and its associated inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-10, IP-10, and TNF-α in the peripheral blood of NSCLC patients (n = 66) and healthy controls (n = 42) was analyzed. In the peripheral blood of NSCLC patients, the protein levels of IRF5, IL-6, and IP-10 were significantly higher than those of healthy controls. In early-stage NSCLC, IRF5 levels in WBCs can be significantly upregulated and have been shown to have diagnostic value as an early warning biomarker of the development of NSCLC.