The significance of insulin resistance in nondiabetic breast cancer patients

Abstract

Background: The relationship between insulin resistance (IR) and prognostic factors in breast cancer (BC) in premenopausal (pre-M) and postmenopausal (post-M) women is still controversial. We evaluated the potential association between hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin levels (FILs), the home-ostasis model assessment index (HOMA), and the prognostic factors of BC in nondiabetic patients with pre-M and post-M breast tumors. Methods: We compared 80 nondiabetic patients with pre-M and post-M breast tumors to 60 women with normal mammography as a control. Results: Age, body mass index (BMI), FBG, and HbA1c did not dif-fer between the groups. FIL (P < 0.001) and HOMA-IR (P < 0.001) of the BC group were significantly higher than in the control group. FIL (P < 0.001) and HOMA-IR (P < 0.001) of the BC group were significantly higher than in the control group, for both pre-and post-M patients. FIL and HOMA-IR values were found to be significantly higher in the patients with stage IV BC than in other stages of BC. FIL and HOMA-IR are highly specific and sensitive parameters in their ability to diagnose BC. Conclusions: FIL and HOMA-IR are associated with BC risk in non-diabetic patients with pre-M and post-M breast tumors. When BC risk was evaluated according to the stage of menopause, no difference was observed; only the disease stage was significant. FIL and IR may function as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for human cancers.