Accumulation of metals in cancerous and healthy tissues of patients with lung cancer in Southern Poland

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the concentrations of metals differ among patients with and without lung cancer with different smoking status and living in industrialized environments. We also evaluated the relationships between metals and blood parameters including hematocrit level (Hct), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), red (RBC) and white (WBC) blood cells numbers. Concentrations of metals were measured with AAS (copper - Cu, iron - Fe, magnesium - Mg, zinc - Zn) and CV-AAS (mercury - Hg). Neither smoking status nor industrialization could be considered as a significant factor for metals accumulation in blood, lungs and tumor tissues, with the exception of mercury which differed in the aspect of industrialization. According to the type of the disease, Fe, Hg and Mg concentrations differed significantly in lungs. Correlations between metals and blood parameters were observed. Additionally, concentrations of Mg, Cu and Zn were correlated between lungs and tumor tissue of patients with cancer as well as they all were related to each other in lungs, tumor and blood tissues.

Keywords:

• Cancer
• copper
• iron
• industrialization metals
• mercury
• smoking
• tumor
• zinc

Acknowledgment

The authors thank all the volunteers whose samples and test results were used in the research. This study was conducted with prior approval of the Bioethical Commission of the Medical University in Katowice (No. KNW/0022/KB1/139/I/11/12).

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