IGF-I biomarker testing in an ethical context

Abstract

Abstract:As we have come to know, there is a connection between cancer biomarkers and genes, along with their susceptibility to a particular disease, all of which have an obvious impact on the clinical practice and development of genetic testing. In any cancer disease, the diagnosis and treatment should be related to the investigation of specific biomarkers (generally antigens and proteins) and their corresponding genes. The study of different antigens such as alpha-fetoprotein, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), insulin-like growth factor II, vascular endothelial growth factor, and epidermal growth factor, as well as their presence in neoplastic cells have demonstrated that IGF-I is an essential target for gene testing and therapeutic purpose. An over-expression of the IGF-I gene in mature tissues is a sign of neoplastic processes, e.g. brain or breast malignancy. A lot of questions have arisen regarding the ethics of gene testing, particularly concerns on the selection of patients for specific growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor I (GHIIGF-I) testing. Evidently, our current society is involved in a process of geneticization -the redefinition of individuals in terms of genetic codes. As such, we should take extreme care when making ethical judgments based on "scientific evidence" derived from genetic testing (typically those involving different biomarkers such as DNA, RNA, chromosomes, and proteins) in relation to genetic abnormalities that could predict current or future diseases. In this situation, the understanding of bioethics is of utmost importance.

Oncoproteins Targeting: Antibodies, Antisense, Triple-helix. Case of Anti IGF-I Cancer Immunogene Therapy

“…Using cancer immunogene therapy of anti-gene anti IGF-I approach, the median survival of treated glioblastoma patients has reached 22-24 months. But the near future in treating this group of disorders belongs to a combination of treatment: classical surgery, radiotherapy with immunotherapy, pharmacologic therapy, growth factor inhibitors, and the use of the antisense/triple helix gene blockade approach targeting signal transduction pathway elements of cancer processes [16,22,23,36,66,90,125,[138][139][140][141][142][143][144][145][146][147].…”

Antimicrobial peptides, novel solution for the treatment of precancerous disease acne - A review

“…In numerous previously published papers concerning the treatment of malignant diseases expressing IGF-I, we have underlined two things. IGF-I is not only the precancerous marker [70,71]. The therapy of different diseases and especially malignant diseases, using the inhibitors targeting IGF-I, especially IGF-I antisense technology, is the most efficient in current cancer treatment [72,73].…”

Applied physiology of IGF-I: case reports of gene therapy of malignant tumors especially glioma

“…IGF-I has characteristics of both a circulating hormone (synthesised by the liver) and a tissue growth factor with autocrine or paracrine properties. IGF-I acts through its binding to a specific IGF-I-R [1,2,7]. IGF-I-R is already present at the two-cell stage of development and is especially highly expressed from the time of neural tube formation, although glial cells express relatively little IGF-I-R mRNA [8,9].…”