Comparative analysis of serum trace element levels in women with invasive cervical cancer in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction Trace elements although present in minute quantities in human blood, they play a vital role in many biochemical enzymatic reactions and have been examined critically as a potential key factor in various human diseases including cancers. This study was aimed to determine the association between serum levels of trace elements and invasive cancer of the cervix. Methods This was an analytical cross-sectional study carried out among women seen at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Fifty histologically diagnosed patients with squamous cells carcinoma of the cervix, who had not had any treatment and 100 cancer-free volunteers were recruited. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect relevant data following which venous blood sample was obtained from each participant. Serum zinc, copper and selenium concentrations were then measured. The associations of serum trace elements and invasive cervical cancer were tested using the independent sample t-test. All significances were reported at P<0.05. Results There were significantly low serum levels of zinc and selenium in cervical cancer patients with no significant difference seen in the serum level of copper among cervical cancer patients compared to their cancer-free control counterparts. Conclusion These alterations in trace elements levels may be important in the pathogenesis of cervical cancers; however, future robust prospective studies are needed to determine if routine provision of these supplements will result in improved cervical cancer treatment outcomes in Nigerian women.

Role of Zinc in Immune System and Anti-Cancer Defense Mechanisms

“…In more than 10% of the population, intake of zinc with meals is less than half the recommended dose, and chronic zinc deficiencies significantly increase the risk of cancer [10,12,13]. Many patients with cancer, especially of the lungs, breast, head, and neck, have a decreased level of zinc in the blood [14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22]. Due to the multitude of functions performed by this element, it can be assumed to play a leading role in defending against the initiation and promotion of tumors, although the mechanism of this role is not fully known [23].…”

Antioxidants with Multivitamin and Mineral Supplementation Attenuates Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy-induced Oxidative Stress in Cancer Patients

“…On the other hand, increased concentration of copper is associated with various cancers, the present study data supports this as increased concentration of serum copper was found in the cancer patients. 7 Interestingly, the outcome of trace elements analysis showed that supplementation of AMM to cancer patients increased the concentration of selenium and zinc by 27-30% and 7-13%, respectively. On the other hand supplementation of AMM to cancer patients decreased the elevated copper concentration by 5-8%.…”

“…So a concern has logically developed as to whether exogenous antioxidant compounds taken concurrently during chemotherapy could reduce the beneficial effect of chemotherapy on malignant cells. [4][5][6][7] Several clinical trials have produced conflicting results regarding the benefit of antioxidants in cancer therapy thus questioning the incorporation of these substances in standard treatment regimens. 4,5 On the contrary literature survey of recent review articles for exploring the armoury of obscurity on concurrent use of antioxidant during chemotherapy revelled that antioxidant does not interfere with chemotherapy, they enhance the cytotoxic effect of chemotherapy, they protect normal tissue and increases patient survival and therapeutic response.…”

“…Previous studies reported that there is a strong association between decreased concentration of serum selenium and zinc with various types of cancers such as ovarian, testicular, cervical, bladder and renal cancer. [7][8][9] Decreased amounts of the essential trace elements especially selenium and zinc were observed in post-therapy of cancer. 10 It is well documented that cancer patients often suffer from Vitamin deficiencies, especially of folic acid, Vitamin C and pyridoxine.…”

Trace Elements and Cancer

“…A large number of epidemiologic studies have been made to identify the risk factors for cancer. Among these, an association with trace elements has received considerable attention 28 . Elements like selenium, zinc, arsenic, cadmium, and nickel, are found naturally in the environment, and human exposure derives from a variety of sources, including air, drinking water, and food.…”