Abstract
AIM: To evaluate the expression of salivary and serum Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in individuals with and without diabetes and oral cancer. METHODS: The cross-sectional study included 4 groups (n = 12/group). Group I consisted of healthy individuals (controls), Group II individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) without oral cancer, Group III individuals had only oral cancer and Group IV individuals had oral cancer and T2D. Demographic characteristics and biochemical values were recorded. Salivary and serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were measured using a quantitative sandwich ELISA technique. RESULTS: Serum IGF-1 levels [Median (Inter-quartile range)] were highest among the control group [255 (135) ng/ml], followed by only T2D group [210 (147) ng/ml], oral cancer with T2D group [149 (45) ng/ml] and finally the oral cancer group [143 (81) ng/ml, p for trend = 0.004]. Salivary IGF-1 values were significantly higher in both the groups with T2D [T2D:0.42 (0.20) ng/ml; oral cancer with T2D: 0.40 (0.21) ng/ml] when compared to those with only oral cancer [0.27 (0.06) ng/ml] and controls: 0.17 (0.17) ng/ml], p for trend = 0.007]. Serum IGFBP-3 was significantly higher in both the oral cancer groups [without T2D: 13.1(10.4) ng/ml; with T2D: 14.9 (8.5) ng/ml] compared to only T2D [0.27 (0.06) ng/ml] and controls [8.7 (3.5) ng/ml, p for trend = 0.001]. However, no significant trend was observed in salivary IGFBP-3 levels. CONCLUSION: IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 are not reliable biomarkers for oral cancer screening or risk prediction. Further research is needed to confirm if they can be used as prognostic tools during treatment.