CORRELATION OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF ESSENTIAL/TRACE ELEMENTS IN HUMAN HAIR FOR LUNG CANCER DIAGNOSIS

摘要

Objectives of the study were to correlate essential/trace elements in human hair in patients with lung cancer and control subjects, and to develop a model that can be applied to test subjects to determine the probability of having lung cancer. However, concentrations of hair essential elements can range varied due to different sample preparation methods and calibration standards. We applied a unified testing procedure for all hair samples to prevent the limitations in hair study. Furthermore, by using an in-house developed artificial intelligent software package (APEX), pattern recognition analysis of 19 essential elements in hair was performed to elucidate a clear picture for the relationship between cancer and non-cancer patients. A computer model was developed based on the levels of the selected essential/trace element for patients diagnosed with lung cancer as well as for non-cancer control groups. This study determined that certain essential/trace elements were strongly correlated to lung cancer, which can be remarkably distinguished from the control group. Future studies linking the contributions of these elements to the carcinogenesis of tumours are expected. Thus, the interrelationship of multiple essential elements in hair may be used as a diagnostic tool for lung cancer. Thus, it may set up the ground for further research and development of a new screening technique for the medical industry.