Study on the Effect of Chemo-Radiation on the Serum Levels of IGF-I in Patients with Cancer Cervix Stage IIIB

Abstract

Insulin-like growth factor type 1 (IGF-1) plays an important role in cancer proliferation and drug resistance. There are no published data on serum IGF-1 levels and the effect of chemo-radiotherapy on IGF-1 levels in advanced cervical cancer. The study was a prospective observational study conducted at a tertiary cancer center. It included patients diagnosed with stage IIIB cervical cancer. Patients were treated with chemo-radiotherapy. IGF-1 levels were measured at baseline, 1 month and 6 months after completion of treatment. The study included 32 patients with a median age of 42 years. All patients completed the planned treatment. The mean IGF-1 levels at baseline, 1-month and 6-month post-treatment were 168.40 ng/ml, 197.1 ng/ml and 146.51 ng/ml, respectively. The IGF-1 levels increased with treatment (P = 0.13) and then declined on follow-up (P = 0.003). IGF-1 levels did not correlate with tumor size or response to treatment. Serum IGF-1 levels in advanced cervical cancer increase with chemo-radiotherapy and decline on follow-up. Further studies are required to understand the implication of this finding.