Analysis of serum levels of 15 trace elements in breast cancer patients in Shandong, China

Abstract

Experimental and epidemiological studies suggest that serum levels of trace elements may be associated with breast cancer risk. We compared serum levels of 15 trace elements between breast cancer patients and normal controls from Shandong, China, for the first time to assess whether serum levels of trace elements were associated with breast cancer risk. Eighty-eight breast cancer patients and 84 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. A Spectraspan V direct current plasma atomic emission spectrometer was used to determine the serum levels of 15 trace elements including Zn, Mn, Al, Cd, Fe, Mg, Ca, Pb, Cu, Se, Ni, Ti, Co, Li, and Cr. Breast cancer patients had significantly higher serum levels of Cd (p = 0.000), Mg (p = 0.001), Cu (p = 0.000), Co (p = 0.006), and Li (p = 0.003) and borderline higher Cr (p = 0.052), while significantly lower Mn (p = 0.000), Al (p = 0.000), Fe (p = 0.000), and Ti (p = 0.000) compared to their matched controls. However, there were no significant differences in serum levels of Zn (p = 0.824), Ca (p = 0.711), Pb (p = 0.274), Se (p = 0.236), and Ni (p = 0.185) between the two groups. Our study showed a possible association between serum levels of trace elements and breast cancer risk in eastern China, though it warrants further investigations to confirm the association. If confirmed, modulation of trace elements may help reduce breast cancer risk.

A Review of the Epidemiology of Breast Cancer in Asia: Focus on Risk Factors

“…In women with BC, the trace elements, cadmium, magnesium, copper, cobalt and lithium, were found in high levels. This suggests a possible association between serum levels of trace elements and breast cancer risk, however, this requires further investigation and if confirmed, the modulation of trace elements may help to reduce breast cancer risk (Ding et al, 2015).…”

“…Dietary factors associated with increased BC risk included intake of total n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (Kiyabu et al, 2015), vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency (Shi et al, 2014a;Park et al, 2015a), high levels of serum cadmium (Nagata et al, 2013;Itoh et al, 2014;Ding et al, 2015), high intake of salt (Park et al, 2014b), sugar (Sulaiman et al, 2014), meat (Ko et al, 2013), and saturated fat and oils (Balasubramaniam et al, 2013;Wang et al, 2013a). In women with BC, the trace elements, cadmium, magnesium, copper, cobalt and lithium, were found in high levels.…”

“…High intake of dietary fiber was associated with decreased BC risk (Sulaiman et al, 2014) along with high levels of α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein/ zeaxanthin (Wang et al, 2014a), and soy products or isoflavones (Ko et al, 2013;Li et al, 2013a;Wada et al, 2014) (Table 2). In addition, BC patients had significantly lower levels of manganese, aluminum, iron and titanium than women who did not have BC (Ding et al, 2015). High consumption of fruit and vegetables has also been linked to a reduction in breast cancer risk in Asia.…”

Serum Levels of Selenium and Zinc in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study

“…Some risk factors including early menarche, late menopause occurred, body mass index (BMI) and obesity after menopause, estrogen intake, alcohol consumption and tobacco use, exposure to ionizing radiation, and eating habits (3), as well as genetic (4)(5)(6), environmental factors (5,6), and ethnicity (7) can effect on the incidence of BC. In various studies, it was found that the serum levels of trace elements in patients with BC have changed and although their role is not fully understood, it may be associated with the risk of this disease (8). Zinc (Zn) is a vital mineral for the operation of numerous cellular processes and growth and may play an important role in malignancy etiology and outcome (9).…”

Determination of trace elements in normal and malignant breast tissues of different age group using total reflection X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer

“…Recently Larner et al have studied the isotopic compositions of Zn in breast cancer tissues and observed that breast cancer tumors are found to have a significantly lighter isotopic distribution of Zn than in blood, serum, and healthy breast tissues. Ding et al have analyzed the concentration levels of 15 trace elements such as Zn, Mn, Al, Cd, Fe, Mg, Ca, Pb, Cu, Se, Ni, Ti, Co, Li, and Cr in breast cancer patients in Shandong of China. They have observed that breast cancer patients have significantly higher serum levels of Cd, Mg, Cu, Co, and Li and significantly lower serum levels of Mn, Al, Fe, and Ti compared with their matched controls.…”