Trace element abnormalities in the scalp hair of breast cancer patients

Development of a number of diseases like cardiovascular diseases and cancer has been related with abnormalities of certain trace elements in some tissues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of trace elements in breast cancer patients in comparison with healthy controls. Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique was employed to measure the hair trace element concentrations in 30 cancer patients and 30 healthy controls. A 2.2 MeV proton beam was employed to excite the biological samples. The concentrations of Fe and Cu (p<0.05) in the hair of cancer patients were found to be higher compared to those of healthy controls, while the concentration of Zn (p<0.05) was found to be lower. No significant difference was observed for sulfur concentration between the two groups. Also, no meaningful difference was observed in the concentrations of K, Ca, Ti as well as ratios of Cu/Zn and Cu/Fe in the hair of the two groups (p<0.05). These abnormalities could potentially be used as a means of breast cancer screening in women.