title: Levels of insulin-like growth factor during pregnancy and maternal cancer risk: a nested case-control study.
abstract: Previous studies have suggested that pregnancy measures of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) may be related to breast cancer risk in mothers. IGFs may also be important in cervical cancer etiology. We conducted a nested case-control study (69 breast cancer cases, 151 cervical cancer cases, 443 controls) among mothers of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort. Over 70% of blood samples was taken prior to 15 weeks' gestation; the remainder before 30 weeks. Logistic regression, controlling for maternal age, gestational age, and sample type (plasma/serum) was used to model the association between IGFs and maternal cancer risk. Neither IGF-I nor IGF-II were associated with breast or cervical cancer. IGF-binding protein (BP)-3 was not related to breast cancer, but there was a suggestion that women in the highest compared to lowest quartile of IGFBP-3 had reduced risk of cervical cancer, OR 0.43 (95% CI 0.21-0.86). In conclusion, the importance of IGFs measured in pregnancy and later breast and cervical cancer remains unclear, though IGFBP-3 may be a marker of lowered risk.
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Rd, Bristol, BS8 2PS, UK. Mona.Jeffreys@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeffreys
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Northstone
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holly
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Emmett
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gunnell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009035:Mothers; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013002:Somatomedins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013002:Somatomedins