Association between components of the insulin-like growth factor system and epithelial ovarian cancer risk.
BACKGROUND
Components of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system have been associated with several cancers, but very few studies are available for ovarian cancer.


METHODS
A case-control study conducted between 1999 and 2003 in Italy, including a total of 59 women with incident, histologically confirmed ovarian cancer and 108 controls admitted to the same hospital network as cases, for acute non-neoplastic diseases. All subjects were interviewed using a validated questionnaire.


RESULTS
After adjustment for potential confounders, the multivariate odds ratios for the highest versus the lowest tertile of various IGF components were 0.6 (95% confidence interval, CI: 0.2-1.4) for free IGF-I, 0.4 (CI: 0.1-1.5) for total IGF-I, 2.6 (CI: 0.9-6.9) for IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-1, and 0.2 (CI: 0.0-0.6) for IGFBP-3.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests a protective role of IGFBP-3 and a positive association of IGFBP-1 with ovarian cancer. The complex role of the IGF system in ovarian carcinogenesis deserves further clarification.
Dal Maso
Luigino
L
Servizio di Epidemiologia e Biostatistica, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Aviano, Italy. epidemiology@cro.it
Augustin
Livia S A
LS
Franceschi
Silvia
S
Talamini
Renato
R
Polesel
Jerry
J
Kendall
Cyril W C
CW
Jenkins
David J A
DJ
Vidgen
Ed
E
La Vecchia
Carlo
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013002:Somatomedins / Q000378:metabolism*
D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3; D013002:Somatomedins; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I