Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2000 Dec 6;92(23):1910-7.
doi: 10.1093/jnci/92.23.1910.

Plasma insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins, and prostate cancer risk: a prospective study

Affiliations

Plasma insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins, and prostate cancer risk: a prospective study

P Stattin et al. J Natl Cancer Inst. .

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have suggested that men with elevated plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) may have an increased risk of prostate cancer. Furthermore, IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) and insulin can modulate the activity of IGF-I. In this study, we sought to determine the role of IGF-I as well as IGFBPs-1, -2, and -3 and insulin as possible etiologic factors for prostate cancer.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study within the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Cohort Study. We measured levels of IGF-I, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-2, IGFBP-3, and insulin in plasma samples from 149 men who had a diagnosis of prostate cancer between 1 month and 10 years after blood collection and among 298 control men. All statistical tests are two-sided.

Results: Case subjects had statistically significantly higher mean levels of IGF-I than control subjects (229 ng/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 218-240 ng/mL] versus 214 ng/mL [95% CI = 208-221 ng/mL]; P =.02) and IGFBP-3 (2611 ng/mL [95% CI = 2518-2704 ng/mL] versus 2498 ng/mL [95% CI = 2437-2560 ng/mL]; P =.04). Conditional logistic regression analyses showed increases in prostate cancer risk with rising levels of IGF-I (P:(for trend) =.02) and IGFBP-3 (P(for trend) =.03). In case subjects younger than 59 years at the time of blood collection, the risk associated with increased IGF-I was higher (P:(for trend) =.01), whereas the risk associated with increased IGFBP-3 was lower (P(for trend) =.44) than the corresponding risks in the full cohort. Prostate cancer risk was not associated with levels of IGFBP-1, IGFBP-2, or insulin.

Conclusions: Prostate cancer risk is increased in men with elevated plasma IGF-I. This association was particularly strong in younger men in this study, suggesting that circulating IGF-I may be specifically involved in the early pathogenesis of prostate cancer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

Similar articles

Cited by

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

-