Expression and clinical significance of IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and IGFBP-7 in serum and lung cancer tissues from patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Zhigang Wang,1,3 Zheng Wang,1 Zhu Liang,3 Jikuan Liu,3 Weicheng Shi,3 Peiru Bai,3 Xialu Lin,2 Ruth Magaye,2 Jinshun Zhao21Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People&#39;s Republic of China; 2Public Health Department of Medical School, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathological and Physiological Technology, Ningbo University, Zhejiang, 3The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, People&#39;s Republic of ChinaAbstract: The expression and clinical significance of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3), and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 (IGFBP-7) were investigated in serum and lung cancer tissues from 57 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Lung cancer tissues at different pathologic stages (27 patients at stages I&ndash;II and 30 patients at stages III&ndash;IV), normal lung tissues from 17 patients with benign pulmonary disease, and serum samples from both lung cancer and benign pulmonary disease patients were collected during surgery. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex immunohistochemical staining were used to detect IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and IGFBP-7 expression in serum and tissues, respectively. The results show that expression of IGF-1 in lung cancer tissues and serum from NSCLC patients were significantly higher than in the control (P < 0.05). However, expression of IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-7 in cancer tissues and serum from NSCLC patients was significantly lower than in the control (P < 0.05). These results suggest that upregulation of IGF-1 and downregulation of IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-7 may be potential diagnostic biomarkers for NSCLC.Keywords: insulin-like growth factor 1, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7, non-small cell lung cancer, diagnostic biomarker