Insulin-like growth factor system in Egyptian children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) have been reported to play an important role in tumor proliferation. This study aimed to investigate the validity of measuring IGFs and specific IGFBPs in the serum of Egyptian children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) as additional markers in diagnosis and follow-up of the disease. IGF-I, IGF-II, IGFBP-2, and IGFBP-3 were determined in the sera of 33 ALL patients at time of diagnosis and after an intensification phase of chemotherapy (IPC) that lasts about 6 months as well as in 15 healthy children as a control group using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. At time of diagnosis, serum IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGFBP-3 were significantly lower than those in the control group. After IPC, serum IGF-I and IGF-II returned to their normal levels, while serum IGFBP-3 was still decreased. On the other hand, serum IGFBP-2 was significantly higher than those in the control group at diagnosis, but returned to normal value after IPC. In conclusion, the changes in IGF system could be useful to support diagnosis and follow-up of children with ALL.