Comparative Study of Trace and Toxic Metal Contents in Serum of Oral Cancer Patients and Healthy Controls
Keywords:
Oral cancer, serum metals, toxic metals, trace metalsAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To analyze serum metal concentrations in oral cancer (OC) patients and healthy controls, investigating their interrelationship and potential diagnostic and clinical significance.
METHODOLOGY: This case-control study was conducted at the Institute of Biochemistry, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, with sample collection from the Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS) from May 2023 to February 2024. 145 Newly diagnosed OC patients without prior radiotherapy or chemotherapy, capable of understanding and answering questions and 145 age and gender-matched individuals from the same hospital with no personal or family history of cancer were included in the study. 5 mL of blood was collected from the participants for metal analysis. Blood samples were used to analyze serum metal levels by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0, employing statistical tests to compare serum metal levels between patients and controls and among different demographic groups.
RESULTS: The study presents a detailed comparison of trace element concentrations between OC patients and controls, highlighting significant differences in metals such as aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), selenium (Se), lead (Pb), strontium (Sr), and zinc (Zn). Gender-wise comparisons also reveal variations in metal concentrations, suggesting potential differential exposure or metabolic processing between males and females.
CONCLUSION: Understanding the mechanisms underlying metal-related cancer development could help improve diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for OC patients.
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