[Expression and clinical significance of insulin like growth factor-1 protein in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the expression of IGF-1R protein and its clinical signification in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

METHOD: SP immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of IGF-1R in 63 cases of NPC and 21 inflammatory nasopharyngeal mucosa; and the expression of IGF-1R in three NPC cell lines and chronic nasopharyngitis tissues was examined by western blots.

RESULT: The positive rates of IGF-1R were 82.5% and 14.3% respectively in 63 cases of NPC and 21 inflammatory nasopharyngeal mucosa; it also showed stronger positive expression in Stage III-IV of NPC than that in stage I-II (P < 0 01); IGF-1R positive expression in cases of NPC with cervical lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than that of NPC without lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05); it more often appears in recurrent cases than in primary cases (P < 0.05); IGF-1R positive expression had a significantly stronger in patients whose survival time less than 5 years than that in patients whose survival time over 5 years (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Over-expression of IGF-1R is related to poor differentiation of NPC, also may be linked with oncogenesis and development of NPC. The over-expression of IGF-1R may be one of a prognostic factors in NPC. The IGF-1R might be a potential therapeutic target in nasopharyngeal cancer.