The British Journal of Radiology, Vol 70, Issue 832 375-382, Copyright © 1997 by British Institute of Radiology

ARTICLES

Elevated trace element concentrations in malignant breast tissues

KH Ng, DA Bradley and LM Looi
Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison 53706, USA.

In vitro neutron activation analysis (NAA) was performed on malignant and adjacent normal tissue from 46 human female breast tumours. The objective was to investigate the chemical environment of the tissues within which microcalcifications develop and to develop a method for discrimination between malignant and normal breast tissue. The elements Al, Br, Ca, Cl, Co, Cs, Fe, K, Mn, Na, Rb and Zn were significantly higher in the cancer tissues (all p < 0.001; except for Co, p < 0.003, Wilcoxon signed-ranks test). In addition, a significant correlation (0.80, Spearman rank correlation) was found for Rb and Zn in tumour tissues. Present results are supported by the findings of others. The relevance of elevated concentrations of these elements in cancer breast tissue remains a matter of conjecture. Evidence suggests that there is a connection both with increased cellular activity and blood supply and the formation of microcalcifications in malignant breast tissues. This study suggests an association between the elemental composition of breast tissues and the formation of breast particles. That is, elevations of elemental concentration and clustered calcifications in breast are possibly related.

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