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The Relationship Between Insulin Resistance and Hyperinsulinemia on Mammary Cancer Growth and Development

Insulin resistance associated with obesity has been suggested to contribute to an increased risk and poor prognosis for breast cancer. In this study, a HER2/Neu transgenic mouse model of breast cancer was used to assess how obesity-induced insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia can influence the development and progression of breast cancer. We investigated the effect of a high-fat diet and found a tumor-promoting effect in the absence of overt insulin resistance. In contrast, a high-fat combined with fructose diet induced significant hyperinsulinemia but no tumor promoting or growth effect was observed. Treatment with the anti-diabetic, insulin-lowering agent metformin led to a delay in tumor onset in mice on control diet, but this effect was abrogated by the high-fat fructose diet. These data indicate that the effects and potential interactions of insulin, nutrition and drugs on breast cancer development and progression are complex and require further study.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/19312
Date04 March 2010
CreatorsKhalid, Sarah
ContributorsFantus, I. George
Source SetsUniversity of Toronto
Languageen_ca
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis

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