Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) levels in pre-treatment plasma identifying breast cancer: A case control study.

Background: Diabetes (primarily type 2) is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) is one of the most important factors that affects mitosis and thus inhibits apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to compare the pre-treatment insulin-like growth factor (IGF) levels in breast cancer against normal population.

Methods: In this case-control study, 60 patients with breast cancer and 60 healthy controls were enrolled in 2017 and 2018 at Tehran's Shahid-Modarres Hospital. In this study, the blood sugar of the patients was examined before entering the study, and the age of the patients was also within the age limit of 18 to 70 years. They were studied to determine the relationship between insulin-like growth factor (ELISA method) and breast cancer.

Results: Both groups have similar IGF-1 levels (Ctrl and Case) (P= 0.188). But, IGF-2 levels were significantly higher in breast cancer patients (373.4 vs. 317.3 ng/ml), (P=0.0001).

Conclusion: According to our study, IGF-2 may serve as a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for breast cancer. However, further investigation is needed to validate this claim.