Expression and clinical significance of insulin-like growth factor 1 in lung cancer tissues and perioperative circulation from patients with non-small-cell lung cancer

摘要

Objective We explored the role of insulin-like growth factor 1 (igf-1) in the development of lung cancer. Methods We used immunohistochemistry to measure the expression of igf-1 and igf-1 receptor (igf-1r) in specimens of tissue and perioperative circulation from 80 patients with primary non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc) and from 45 patients with benign pulmonary lesions (bpls). Correlations of those measurements with clinicopathologic characteristics and clinical follow-up were analyzed. Circulating igf-1 was measured before and after surgery in all patients. Results Compared with bpl specimens, nsclc specimens showed overexpression of igf-1and igf-1r ( p & 0.001). The expression levels of igf-1 and igf-1r were significantly associated with advanced-stage disease ( p = 0.034 and 0.029 respectively) and lymph node metastasis ( p = 0.012 and 0.017 respectively), and expression of igf-1 correlated with tumour differentiation and tumour diameter ( p = 0.011 and 0.021 respectively). Specimens positive for igf-1 or igf-1r were significantly correlated with shorter patient survival ( p = 0.0012 and 0.0016 respectively). After surgery, circulating igf-1 was significantly elevated in patients with bpl ( p = 0.0346) and significantly lower in patients with nsclc ( p = 0.0030), especially in those with advanced-stage disease, a larger tumour size, regional lymphoid node metastasis, or lesser differentiation ( p = 0.0092, 0.0051, 0.0131, and p & 0.001 respectively). Conclusions In nsclc, igf-1 and igf-1r are upregulated, and expression of those factors is correlated with tumour progression and prognosis in nsclc patients. Radical resection of nsclc can directly influence the serum concentration of igf-1. Autocrine/paracrine igf-1 might be playing an important role in the development of lung cancer.