Peptide Hormones Supraregional Assay Service (SAS), Clinical Biochemistry Department, Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XX, UK Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XH, UK.
Endocr Relat Cancer. 2013 Oct 24;20(6):R321-39. doi: 10.1530/ERC-13-0231. Print 2013 Dec.
Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) is a 7.5 kDa mitogenic peptide hormone expressed by liver and many other tissues. It is three times more abundant in serum than IGF1, but our understanding of its physiological and pathological roles has lagged behind that of IGF1. Expression of the IGF2 gene is strictly regulated. Over-expression occurs in many cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis. Elevated serum IGF2 is also associated with increased risk of developing various cancers including colorectal, breast, prostate and lung. There is established clinical utility for IGF2 measurement in the diagnosis of non-islet cell tumour hypoglycaemia, a condition characterised by a molar IGF2:IGF1 ratio >10. Recent advances in understanding of the pathophysiology of IGF2 in cancer have suggested much novel clinical utility for its measurement. Measurement of IGF2 in blood and genetic and epigenetic tests of the IGF2 gene may help assess cancer risk and prognosis. Further studies will determine whether these tests enter clinical practice. New therapeutic approaches are being developed to target IGF2 action. This review provides a clinical perspective on IGF2 and an update on recent research findings.
胰岛素样生长因子 2（IGF2）是一种 7.5kDa 的有丝分裂原肽激素，由肝脏和许多其他组织表达。它在血清中的含量比 IGF1 丰富三倍，但我们对其生理和病理作用的理解落后于 IGF1。IGF2 基因的表达受到严格调控。在许多癌症中都会过度表达，并且与预后不良有关。血清 IGF2 水平升高也与多种癌症（包括结直肠癌、乳腺癌、前列腺癌和肺癌）的发病风险增加有关。IGF2 测量在非胰岛细胞瘤低血糖症的诊断中具有明确的临床应用价值，这种情况的特征是 IGF2：IGF1 摩尔比>10。对 IGF2 在癌症中的病理生理学的理解的最新进展表明，其测量具有更多新的临床应用价值。测量血液中的 IGF2 以及 IGF2 基因的遗传和表观遗传测试可能有助于评估癌症风险和预后。进一步的研究将确定这些测试是否进入临床实践。新的治疗方法正在开发中以靶向 IGF2 的作用。本文从临床角度综述了 IGF2 及其最近的研究结果。
