Insulin-like growth factors and prostate cancer

Converging data from epidemiological and biological research implicate insu lin-like growth factor (IGF) physiology in the regulation of prostate epith elial cell proliferation and in the pathophysiology of prostate cancer. Thi s review (1) outlines elements of IGF physiology, (2) reviews recent eviden ce that circulating IGF-I level is related to risk of prostate cancer, (3) provides a hypothesis concerning the biological basis for the relationship between IGF-1 level and risk of prostate cancer, (4) discusses IGF-I physio logy in the context of neoplastic progression of prostate cancer, and (5) d iscusses clinical implications of these lines of research with respect to p revention and treatment.