The following is a summary of “Circulating free insulin-like growth factor-I and prostate cancer: a case-control study nested in the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition,” published in the June 2024 issue of Oncology by Cheng et al.
Circulating total insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is a recognized risk factor for prostate cancer. However, most circulating IGF-I is bound to IGF-binding proteins, leaving only a small proportion bioavailable. Few studies have explored the relationship between circulating free IGF-I and prostate cancer risk. This study aimed to address this gap by analyzing data from 767 prostate cancer cases and 767 matched controls nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, with an average follow-up of 14 years (interquartile range = 2.9 years). Matching variables included study center, follow-up length, age, and fasting duration at blood collection. Serum samples were collected at the recruitment visit (mean age 55 years, standard deviation = 7.1 years), and circulating free IGF-I concentrations were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Conditional logistic regressions were conducted to assess the associations between free IGF-I levels and prostate cancer risk overall, as well as by time to diagnosis (≤14 years and >14 years) and tumor characteristics. The results indicated that circulating free IGF-I concentrations, whether analyzed in quartiles or as a continuous variable, were not associated with overall prostate cancer risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.00 per 0.1 nmol/L increment, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.02). There were no significant associations with time to diagnosis or with prostate cancer subtypes, including tumor stage and histological grade.
In conclusion, circulating free IGF-I levels were not linked to prostate cancer risk in this cohort. These findings suggest that further research is needed to explore alternative methods for estimating bioavailable IGF-I and better understand the established connection between circulating total IGF-I and prostate cancer risk.
Source: bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-023-11425-w
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