Abstract
Raised circulating levels of both insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) have recently been shown to be risk markers for breast cancer in pre- and postmenopausal women. If these raised levels are shown to be present prior to the clinical manifestation of breast cancer then the abnormalities may help to identify endocrine/metabolic factors which favour promotion of mammary carcinogenesis. Western diets may cause early onset of insulin resistance and the resulting hyperinsulinaemia can lead to endocrine/metabolic dysfunction. Exposure of mammary tissue to an abnormal sex hormone steroid profile associated with increased tissue activity of IGF-1, may increase epithelial proliferation and increase the risk of developing precancerous lesions. The newly recognised risk markers for breast cancer may be linked to other clinical risk markers such as early onset of menarche, relative tallness and upper-body type obesity in women.
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