Abstract: Objective To investigate the levels of tumor markers and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in patients with primary liver cancer, and to determine risk factors for primary liver cancer. Methods There were 120 primary liver cancer patients treated in Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University and Changji People's Hospital from June 2015 to December 2017 enrolled in the retrospective analysis, including 60 cases with diabetes and 60 cases without. Liver function, tumor markers, IGF-1 and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) levels were detected in both groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors for primary liver cancer. Results There was no significant difference in the levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, alpha-fetoprotein and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 between primary liver cancer patients with and without diabetes (P>0.05). The levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in patients with diabetes were significantly lower than those in patients without (P<0.05). Hepatitis B virus infection, alcohol consumption, diabetes, family history of malignant tumors and smoking were independent risk factors for primary liver cancer (P<0.05). Conclusion Diabetic patients have a higher risk of developing primary liver cancer.

Key words: Primary liver cancer, Diabetes, Insulin-like growth factor-1, Risk factors, Logistic regression analysis