Groth hormone and cancer risk

Growth hormone (GH) via its mediator, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) do have mitogenic and anti-apoptotic activity , to regulation of cellular growth.Their potential involvement in tumor promotion and progression has been of concern for several decades. Purpose of review discuss the association between recent studies of human cancer by excess treated with growth hormon . Pre-clinical studies and epidemiological observations in patients with an excess of hormone production or in patients chronically treated with GH does result in a small increase in cancer risk compared with untreated patients with GH deficiency although this is a distinction that is important mechanistically but not clinical . Epidemiological studies of patients with acromegaly indicate an increased risk of colorectal cancer, although risk of other cancers is unproven, and a long-term follow up study of children deficient in GH treated with pituitary-derived GH has indicated an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Finally, even if GH/IGF-1 therapy does result in a small increase in cancer risk compared to untreated patients with GH deficiency, it is likely that the eventual risk will be the same as the general population. However, important questions remain unresolved concerns about the potential cancer-enhancing properties of GH .

Keywords:

growth hormone , insulin_ like growth factor , growth hormone deficiency