Insulin-like growth factor system and breast cancer
Endocrine-Related Cancer v.8, i.3, Sep01

D Sachdev and D Yee

Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Cancer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

(Requests for offprints should be addressed to D Yee, University of Minnesota Cancer Center, Mayo Mail Code 806, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA)

Abstract

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system components have been implicated in breast cancer progression. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and -II (IGF-II) are mitogenic and anti-apoptotic peptides that influence the proliferation of various cell types including normal and transformed breast epithelial cells. The IGF system is a key growth regulatory pathway in breast cancer. As various components of the IGF system have been directly or indirectly implicated in breast cancer, it is essential to gain a better understanding of these in order to develop more specific therapeutic strategies for treating breast cancer.