Correlation of Serum Insulin-like Growth Factor 1

Background: Insulin-like growth factor-1 can act in both an autocrine and paracrine manner to promote normal growth and malignant cellular proliferation. The importance of this factor as a major regulatory peptide has been established for cells, in vitro and in vivo. However, the role of serum insulin-like growth factor-1 levels in the etiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer has not received sufficient attention. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer, and serum insulin-like growth factor-1 levels. Methods: We collected blood samples from 68 individuals with prostate cancer (cases) and 68 individuals with benign prostatic hyperplasia (controls) who were patients at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Those with benign prostatic hyperplasia had normal prostatic specific antigen levels <4 ng/ml and normal prostate according to digital rectal examination. The case group was selected from patients with pathologically confirmed prostate cancer. Insulin-like growth factor-1 concentrations were measured by a radio immunoassay kit. We used the t-test t