Objective: The present study was conducted to find the utility of insulin growth factors (IGFs) as diagnostic and prognostic biochemical parameters in patients suffering from squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity. Materials and Methods: A total of 360 male and female patients diagnosed with precancerous conditions (PCC) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) of Stage I to IV were selected for the present study. Patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to ascertain their demographic and medical history. After completing the history and physical examination, patients were subjected to routine blood investigations along with determining insulin growth factor (IGF-1, IGFBP-3) levels. The data obtained were then subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS 20.0 version. Results: The mean values of IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and ratio of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were obtained. The intergroup comparison was done between PCC and all the stages of OSCC for all the IGFs. The result obtained was found to be statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: The present study concluded that a positive correlation was observed for various insulin growth factors (IGF-1, IGFBP-3; and ratio of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3) between OSCC and PCC such as erythroplakia and oral submucous fibrosis. Thus, the study highlighted the use of IGFs as diagnostic and prognostic parameters in patients suffering from cancerous conditions.

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