Insulin-like growth factor II in gynecological cancers: a preliminary study.
OBJECTIVE
We have previously reported elevated serum levels of cervical human papilloma viral proteins E6 and E7 and serum insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) in women with cervical cancer and advanced cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. As most women with cervical cancer have elevated levels of serum IGF-II, we sought to determine whether the cervical cancer and lymph node biopsies from these women demonstrated increased production of IGF-II and whether this elevation was also present in ovarian and endometrial cancers.


METHODS
We used the semi-quantitative immunofluorescent antibody assay established in our laboratory to identify the levels of IGF-II in 21 cervical cancers (seven with matching lymph nodes), 18 benign cervical biopsies, 13 endometrial cancers, 15 benign endometrial biopsies, 5 ovarian cancers, and 15 benign ovarian biopsies.


RESULTS
The immunofluorescent IGF-II levels (relative intensity per pixel) were the highest in cervical cancers; they were significantly higher than in matched controls. IGF-II levels were not higher in ovarian cancers and only slightly elevated in endometrial cancers. The presence of IGF-II in pelvic lymph nodes of women with cervical cancer paralleled with those in the cervical cancers. Interestingly, we could identify small nests of metastases of malignant cells in the nodes (pauci-cellular metastasis) by using IGF-II as the marker.


CONCLUSIONS
We propose that measurement and identification of IGF-II in the cervical biopsy may be a sensitive method of detecting cervical cancer and metastatic spread in the lymph nodes.
Mathur
Subbi P
SP
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. mathurs@musc.edu
Landen
Charles P
CP
Datta
Susan M
SM
Hoffman
M Camille
MC
Mathur
Rajesh S
RS
Young
Roger C
RC
D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II / Q000378:metabolism*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism
D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II