The relationship between serum levels of erythropoietin (EPO) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (ILGF-1) and hematocrit (HCT) in breast cancer patients receiving non-nephrotoxic chemotherapy
A. Shamseddine et al., The relationship between serum levels of erythropoietin (EPO) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (ILGF-1) and hematocrit (HCT) in breast cancer patients receiving non-nephrotoxic chemotherapy, EUR J GYN O, 19(6), 1998, pp. 591-593
Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the hematocrit (HCT), serum
erythropoietin (EPO) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (ILGF-1) levels in b
reast cancer patients receiving non-nephrotoxic chemotherapy.
Methods: Seventeen patients with stage II breast cancer were included. All
received 6 cycles of non-nephrotoxic chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide. 5-fluo
rouracil and doxorubicin or methotrexate with or without tamoxifen). Insuli
n-like growth factor-1 and EPO levels were determined before and at the end
of therapy. Serum EPO levels were determined by Enzyme linked-immunosorban
t assay (ELISA) while those of ILGF-1 by radioimmunoassay (RIA).
Results: A significant drop in mean HCT from 37.41%+/-0.77% to 35.189+/-0.7
0%, associated with a significant decline in ILGF-1 levels from 92.1+/-15.4
8 ng/ml to 52.75+/-10.5 ng/ml at the end of the treatment was noted. This a
ssociation became significant when patients receiving tamoxifen were exclud
ed (r=0.69, p=0.02). The mean serum EPO levels increased significantly from
13.64+/-0.55 U/l to 19.44+/-3.18 U/l and correlated negatively with ILGF-1
level (r=-0.36, p=0.05). There was no significant relation between the ser
um EPO levels and HCT (r=-0.26, p=0.32).
Conclusion: The current data show that ILGF-1 may play an important role in
erythropoiesis and it correlates better than EPO with HCT in breast cancer
patients receiving non-nephrotoxic chemotherapy.