Serum Trace Elemental Content of Tongue Cancer Patients Using Particle Induced X-Ray Emission Technique

摘要

Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE), a well established method for elemental analysis, was used to evaluate the levels of trace elements in blood serum samples of tongue cancer patients and analyze their alteration with respect to healthy controls. The PIXE measurements were carried out using 2.5 MeV collimated proton beam from the 3 MV Tandem Pelletron Accelerator at Ion Beam Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, India. The serum of the cancerous group displayed increased concentrations of Ti, Co, Ni, and Cu but lowered concentrations of Cr, Fe, Zn, As, and Se. Statistically significant differences were found for serum Fe (p < 0.005), Ni (p < 0.05), Cu (p < 0.05), Zn (p < 0.00005), and Se (p < 0.0001) between the two studied groups. The serum copper to zinc ratio was significantly higher for tongue cancer patients than for the control group (1.87 ± 0.45 vs. 0.77 ± 0.14). The elevated or deficient levels of the trace elements observed in the serum of tongue cancer patients when compared to the control subjects are discussed in terms of their potential role in the initiation, promotion or inhibition of tongue cancer.