title: Serum insulin levels in patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Insulin regulates metabolic processes and is an important growth factor, which is able to stimulate cell proliferation and transformation and to inhibit apoptosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to analyze the fasting serum insulin level in patients with colorectal cancer in relation to the clinical stage of the disease, patients' overweight and obesity, and the localization of a tumor (in the colon and rectum).
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy patients with colorectal cancer, including 41 men and 29 women (at an average age of 65 years) were enrolled into the study. Patients with diabetes, other forms of cancer, or used hormones were excluded from the study. Medical records of the patients was evaluated. Glucose and insulin levels in blood serum were analyzed. All the patients were divided into groups according to the body mass index (BMI), the clinical stage of the disease (including TNM) and tumor localization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten patients (14.29%) were obese, 31 patients (44.29%) were overweight, and 29 patients had normal weight (41.43%). The average BMI was 25.98 +/- 5.38 kg/m2. The mean glucose serum level was 5.49 +/- 1.0 mmol/l and the mean insulin serum level was 18.93 +/- 14.67 microlU/ml. There were no significant differences in glucose and insulin levels in relation to the stage of the disease, tumor localization and BMI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overweight and obesity were observed in most of the colorectal cancer patients. No statistical associations were observed between serum insulin levels and tumor localization.
authors.affiliation: Chair and Clinical Department of Internal Diseases in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland. ewanz@onet.eu
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nowakowska-Zajdel
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muc-Wierzgoń
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kokot
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Romanowski
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zubelewicz-Szkodzińska
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brodziak
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiczkowski
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strzelczyk
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kozowicz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin