Objective: The aim of this review is to clarify the involvement of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system in the development of colorectal malignancy.
Materials and methods: Medline searches were used to identify key articles relating the IGF system with the development of colorectal cancer.
Results: The IGF system has been linked to colorectal malignancy by a convergence of data from epidemiological, clinical and laboratory-based sources.
Conclusion: Further work is needed to characterise the IGF system expression in the colon. Such clarification could lead to the identification of targets that can be manipulated for clinical advantage.