Could a simple blood test help identify people at risk for some of the most commonly diagnosed cancers? A newly published analysis offers this hope, and a cancer prevention expert who spoke to WebMD says it could be a reality in just a few years. The study, a review of earlier studies, found high blood levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I), a traditional marker for growth hormone, may be linked to a modest increase in the risk for colorectal cancer, prostate cancer in men, and breast cancer among women diagnosed prior to menopause. It did not appear to increase breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women, however.
