Serum insulin-like growth factor 1 [IGF-1] and its binding protein 3 [IGFBP3] in relation to estrogen in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer receiving tamoxifen with and without vitamin A

ABSTRACT

This study included 30 postmenopausal women with breast cancer stages II and III. They were divided into two groups according to the line of adjuvant treatment [tamoxifen, oral tables of 10 mg twice daily or tamoxifen with vitamin A, oral tables 200 mg daily of vitamin A] as well as 15 normal healthy postmenopausal women matched in age with the patients group. The study aimed to investigate the effect of an antioxidant [vitamin A] besides tamoxifen as an adjuvant treatment in postmenopausal females with breast cancer as a reflection of change on the serum levels of IGF-I, its binding protein 3 [IGFBP3] and estrogen which were determined by immunoradiometric assay [IRMA] and radioimmunoassay [RIA]. After six months of adjuvant treatment with tamoxifen or tamoxifen with vitamin A, a statistically significant decrease in serum IGF-I and estrogen and a statistically significant increase in serum IGFBP3 level were observed