The IGF-I axis in thyroid carcinoma.

Insulin like-growth factor I (IGF-I) has been involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of human neoplasia due to the mitogenic and anti-apoptotic properties of its cognate receptor. In human thyroid carcinomas, we have previously documented an increased immunoreactivity of both IGF-I and the IGF-I receptor (IGF-I R) associated with up regulation of IGF-I mRNA . Immunoreactivity of IGF-I and cognate receptor positively correlated with tumor diameter and wide intrathyroidal extension but not with patient's gender and age or with the stage of the tumors and the occurrence of limph node metastases. Most experimental studies indicate that the effects of IGF-I on target cells are regulated in a complex fashion and depend on the simultaneous occurrence of IGF-IR and the binding proteins.