INS and cancer: Rats and mice with diabetes induced by streptozotocin or alloxan and characterized by hyperglycemia and insulin deficiency, display a longer latency period for cancer development, lower number of tumors, slower cancer progression, and smaller final tumor volume as compared with controls.28 Insulin and insuline-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) generate their effects through insulin receptors and IGF-1 receptors, respectively, to promote cellular proliferation and inhibit apoptosis in many tissue types.