Analysis of trace elements in blood sera of breast cancer patients by particle induced X-ray emission

Trace elemental imbalance in human beings is postulated to exert action, directly or indirectly, on the carcinogenic process. The objective of this study was to evaluate the levels of trace elements in blood sera of breast cancer patients and analyze their alteration with respect to healthy controls. This work was also intended to establish the role played by the trace elements in carcinogenic process. Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique was used for trace elemental analysis of blood sera of breast cancer patients and healthy controls. The PIXE measurements were carried out using a 2.5 MeV collimated proton beam from the 3 MV Tandem Pelletron accelerator at Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, India. On comparing the trace elemental content in the sera of breast cancer patients with those of control subjects, significant variations were observed in the levels of most of the trace elements. The serum levels of almost all the elements except Fe and Cu were observed to be depressed in cancer patients with respect to normal subjects. However, this variation was significant only for Ti (P < 0.00005), Cr (P < 0.005), Mn (P < 0.0005), Ni (P < 0.01), Zn (P < 0.000001), and Se (P < 0.05). On the other hand, significant elevations were observed in serum Fe (P < 0.05) and Cu (P < 0.005) levels in cancer patients. The findings presented in this paper give guidelines for future study into the possible roles and interactions of essential trace elements in the breast carcinogenic process.