An elemental correlation study in cancerous and normal breast tissue with successive clinical stages by neutron activation analysis

Abstract

Influence of trace elements in body metabolism and their physiological importance in various diseases have motivated their accurate and quantitative determination in biological tissues and fluids. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) using short and long term irradiation has been employed to determine five minor elements (Cl, K, Na, Mg, P) and 15 trace elements (As, Br, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Rb, Sb, Se, Sc, Sr, and Zn) in cancerous and normal breast tissue from 30 patients of four clinical stages. Several elements show enhancement in cancerous breast tissue. Selenium shows maximum enhancement of 94.7% followed by K (81.6%), Sc (66.7%), Cu (58.2%) Na (48.5%), P (44.4%), and Zn (39.2%). Some elements, such as Fe, Cr, and Mn, are depressed by 30.8, 30.1, and 12.8%, respectively. These elements compete for binding sites in the cell, change its enzymatic activity and exert direct or indirect action on the carcinogenic process accelerating the growth of tumors. This is further evidenced by histopathological examination of cancerous cells showing poor cytological differentiation. An attempt has been made to correlate trace element concentrations of Se, Cu, Zn, Rb, Br, Hg, As, Co, Fe, Cr, and Mn and the ratios of Se/Zn, K/P, Cu/Zn, Na/K, and Se/Fe with the clinical stages of cancer. Inhibition of enzymatic activity caused by variation in trace element concentrations results in immunological breakdown of the body system.

Selenium in serum and neoplastic tissue in breast cancer: correlation with CEA

“…It is notable that Se concentration in the neoplastic tissue was nearly fourfold greater than in the adjacent normal breast tissue. Our findings regarding serum/tissue Se levels in patients suffering from breast cancer are in agreement with other reports in patients with lung, gastric, renal, colorectal and breast cancer, where an increased concentration of Se in the neoplastic tissue was found (Garg et al, 1994;Sharma et al, 1994;Burguera et al, 1995;Kuo et al, 2002;Charalabopoulos et al, 2006).…”

“…To our best knowledge, the present study is the fourth one in the last 40 years (Pub-Med search) providing information regarding the neoplastic tissue Se concentration in breast cancer patients and the first one providing data for serum/tissue Se concentrations simultaneously, in association with serum CEA levels (Garg et al, 1994;Sharma et al, 1994;Kuo et al, 2002). It is notable that Se concentration in the neoplastic tissue was nearly fourfold greater than in the adjacent normal breast tissue.…”

“…It has been postulated that a high intake of micronutrients in diet may prevent carcinogenesis (Lianidou et al, 1997;Charalabopoulos et al, 2003). Trace elements play an important role in a number of biological processes by activating or inhibiting various enzymes (Garg et al, 1994). Selenium (Se) is an essential nonmetallic trace element and its plasma and tissue concentration is regulated by incompletely understood homeostatic mechanisms.…”

Impact of Environmental Contaminants on Breast Cancer / Wpływ Zanieczyszczenia Środowiska Na Raka Piersi

“…After adjustment for potential risk factors of breast cancer, women in the second and highest tertiles (Rb concentration > 3633.78 µg · g −1 ) had a decreased risk of breast cancer in a dose-dependent manner as compared with those in the lowest tertile (Rb concentration < 2522.64 µg · g −1 ), and the corresponding ORs were 0.45 (95% CI 0.27-0.73) and 0.22 (95% CI 0.13-0.38), respectively. However, it could be noted that the levels of Rb in breast tumour tissues were significantly higher than that in the normal tissues indicating that tumour cells have a greater affinity to Rb than normal cells [217][218][219][220][221].…”

Modeling the adult female phantom in the supine and prone postures and initial dose assessment in breast cancer diagnosis with Neutron Stimulated Emission Computed Tomography

“…Specification of the elemental concentrations is a helpful idea for investigating the human body to diagnose many disorders at very early stages or in progression (Andrási et al, 1993;Garg et al, 1994;Hollán, 1997;Powell et al, 1998;Geraki et al, 2002;Powell, 2005;Yaman et al, 2005;Mutter et al, 2007). This approach can be easily accessible if it is performed in a non-invasive and non-destructive manner.…”