Clinical implications of insulin-like growth factor 1 system in early-stage cervical cancer

• Published in: British journal of cancer Vol. 99; no. 7; pp. 1096 - 1102
• Main Authors: Huang, Y-F, Shen, M-R, Hsu, K-F, Cheng, Y-M, Chou, C-Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 07.10.2008; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cancer Research; Cervical cancer; Drug Resistance; Epidemiology; Female; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Humans; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 - blood; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - physiology; Molecular Diagnostics; Molecular Medicine; Multivariate Analysis; Oncology; Prognosis; Receptor, IGF Type 1 - metabolism; Signal Transduction; Survival Rate; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - pathology; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - physiopathology; insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor; insulin-like growth factor-1; IGF binding protein 3; cervical cancer; cervical carcinoma
• ISSN: 0007-0920; 1532-1827
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6604661

This study was aimed to identify the expression and the correlation of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) system and their prognostic impacts in cervical cancer. Seventy-two patients with early-stage cervical cancer were eligible. We obtained the serum levels of total IGF-1 and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the expression of IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) in cancerous tissue by immuno-fluorescent (IF) stains. The 5-year recurrence-free and overall survival rates were significantly lower ( P =0.003 and P =0.01, respectively) among patients with high-grade expression of tissue IGF-1R, compared with those with low-grade expression. After adjustment for other factors, preoperative serum total IGF-1 or IGFBP-3 levels failed to predict cancer death and recurrence. High-grade expression of IGF-1R and elevated preoperative squamous cell carcinoma antigen level were independent predictors of both death and recurrence, and combination of both factors could further help identify the subgroup of patients at higher death risk. The IF staining indicates the colocalisation of IGF-1 and IGF-1R in the cancerous tissues, whereas the IGF-1R expression is not correlated with circulating levels of IGF-1 or IGFBP-3. In early-stage cervical cancer, IGF-1 system may have a paracrine or autocrine function and the adverse impacts on prognosis by IGF-1R overexpression are implicated.