The comparative study of serum iron, copper, and zinc levels between bladder cancer patients and a control group

A relatively wide range of trace elements are known to play important roles in biological processes, including the oxidative processes. Oxidative processes are one of the mechanisms involved in both incidence and recurrence of bladder cancer. In the present study, the concentration of iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) were determined in the serum of patients with bladder cancer in comparison to healthy subjects.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 51 patients with bladder cancer and 58 healthy volunteers after age, sex, and smoking habits were matched. After overnight fasting, samples were collected. The concentrations of Fe, Cu, and Zn were measured by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy and comparisons were made using Student's t-test.

There was a significant increase in mean Cu and Cu/Zn serum level in bladder cancer patients compared to the control group (P < 0.001). In contrast, the serum zinc level in patients having bladder cancer was significantly lower than in the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the serum iron level was significantly lower in the patients than the control group (P < 0.001).

In the present study, a relationship was seen between the level of trace elements and the occurrence of bladder cancer, suggesting that an increase in the serum level of Cu and a decrease in the levels of Zn and Fe might be important causes of bladder cancer occurrence; however, defining such a cause-and-effect relationship needs several prospective studies to be done, which seems necessary with regard to the high prevalence of this cancer.