Increased serum insulin associated with increased risk of prostate cancer recurrence

Abstract

Urologists are actively seeking additional biomarkers of prostate cancer aggressiveness. Many prostate cancers are quite indolent and may never cause a problem, but it is now impossible to identify such tumors with certainty. Further studies of serum insulin levels in prostate cancer as a biomarker might, therefore, be worthwhile. With more and better biomarkers, many older men might be spared the rigors of radiation therapy and/or surgery, and their complications. Also, new prostate cancer therapies might be directed toward inhibiting the mitogenic effects of insulin.