Igf1R Predicts Better Survival in High-Grade Serous Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Patients and Correlates with Hctr1 Levels

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the potential of IGF1R as a prognostic marker for high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) patients. Patients & methods: The expression levels of IGF1R and drug transporters (ABCB1, hCtr1) were measured longitudinally in chemo-naive and chemo-treated tumor samples from 19 HGSOC patients, and their correlation with the clinical outcome was examined. Results:IGF1R expression was significantly upregulated in treated tumor samples, which positively correlated with hCtr1 levels. Patients with metastatic tumors with IGF1R expression higher than median showed better overall survival (median not reached) and disease-free survival (26.7 months) than those with less than median expression (overall survival: 27.5 months [p = 0.029]; disease-free survival: 11.9 months [p = 0.014]). Conclusion: IGF1R prognosticates prolonged survival in HGSOC patients, possibly due to its positive correlation with hCtr1.

Keywords:

• hCtr1
• HGSOC
• IGF1R
• neoadjuvant chemotherapy
• ovarian cancer
• prognostic marker

Financial & competing interest disclosure

This study was supported by the Department of Biotechnology (grant no. BT/PR4141/MED/30/680/2011) for funding to P Ray and ACTREC for fellowship to A Deo. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financialinvolvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent had been obtained from all the participants involved.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Department of Biotechnology (grant no. BT/PR4141/MED/30/680/2011) for funding to P Ray and ACTREC for fellowship to A Deo. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financialinvolvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.