Endocrine Abstracts

Laron syndrome (LS) is a rare genetic endocrinopathy that results from mutation or deletion of the growth hormone receptor (GH-R) gene. LS is the best characterized entity under the spectrum of the congenital insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) deficiencies and is typically associated with dwarfism and obesity. Epidemiological studies have shown that LS patients do not develop cancer whereas heterozygous family members have a tumor prevalence similar to the general po...

The involvement of the insulin-like growth factors (IGF1, IGF2) in cancer biology has been the focus of extensive research. Ligand-dependent activation of the IGF1 receptor (IGF1-R) has been identified as a crucial step in cancer development. Epidemiological studies revealed that moderately elevated serum IGF1 is associated with increased occurrence of various tumours, including breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer. The IGF1-R is expressed in most transformed cells, where i...