Determination of Zn/Cu ratio and oligoelements in serum samples by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for cancer diagnosis

摘要

The method of quantification using the Compton peak as an internal standard, developed in a previous work, was applied to the routine determination of Fe, Cu, Zn and Sc in serum samples from normal individuals and cancer patients by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Samples were classified according to age and sex of the donor, in order to determine reference values for normal individuals. Results indicate that the Zn/Cu ratio and the Cu concentration could prove to be useful tools for cancer diagnosis. Significant differences in these parameters between the normal and cancer group were found for all age ranges. The multielemental character of the technique, coupled with the small amounts of sample required and the short analysis time make it a valuable tool in clinical analysis.