ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS OF BLOOD IN ORAL CANCER

Fluctuations of the concentration levels of trace elements play an egregious role in enhancing carcinogenic effect in healthy persons and in the pathogenesis of oral malignancies. Epidemiological studies regarding the role of external carcinogenic agents in oral cancer have documented the involvement of certain trace elements either directly or indirectly. An analysis of trace elements like K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se And Pb was done in seventeen oral cancer patients having tobacco habits by drawing their whole blood and determining their concentrations using Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) spectroscopic technique at Institute of Physics. Bhubaneswar, India which is rapid, efficient, multi-elemental and non-destructive in nature and in principle sensitive to all elements from Na to U. Fifteen healthy non-cancerous persons with tobacco habits were also taken as control. The results of the study group when compared with the control group illustrated that K, Cu and Se concentrations were significantly higher in the oral cancer patients as an effect of deleterious tobacco upon their blood whereas the rest of the elements like Ca, Zn, Fe and Pb did not reveal significant changes.