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Low levels of key protein may indicate pancreatic cancer risk
Date:8/15/2007

Among cases diagnosed at least eight years after blood collection, those in the bottom quarter of IGFBP-1 levels had nearly three-and-a-half times the pancreatic cancer risk of those in the upper quarters.

The risk may be elevated because higher amounts of IGFBP-1 are able to "soak up" more IGF, leaving less available to spur pancreatic cancer cell growth, or because IGFBP-1 has some cancer-blocking properties of its own, said Wolpin, who is also an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. Another possibility is that other molecules may be involved, for which IGFBP-1 acts as an intermediary.

"It's known that a variety of proteins are affected by obesity and sedentary lifestyle," he added. "Studies are exploring whether a subset of these may play a role in the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. More research is also needed on how alterations in insulin and proteins in the IGF family alter the risk of this difficult disease."


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Contact: Bill Schaller
william_schaller@dfci.harvard.edu
617-632-5357
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Source:Eurekalert

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