[Association between serum manganese level and oral cancer: a case-control study]

To explore the relationship between serum manganese and risk of oral cancer.

Using a case-control study design, a total of 468 newly diagnosed oral cancer patients in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, who were confirmed by surgical pathology between September 2010 and January 2020, were selected as the case group. A total of 1419 patients from the hospital's physical examination population and the community's natural population during the same period were selected as the control group. Manganese level in serum sample were detected by ICP-MS. Demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors were collected through questionnaire survey. Unconditional logistic regression was used to explore the association between serum manganese and oral cancer. Adjusted OR and corresponding 95% CI were calculated. Additionally, stratification analyses and multiplicative interaction analysis were used to explore the potential interaction of serum manganese and lifestyle factors in the association with oral cancer risk.

The median and interquartile range of the level of serum manganese in case group(0.001(0.001, 4.330) μg/L) was lower than that in control group(2.381(0.001, 6.578) μg/L). After adjusting for sex, age, place of residence, family history of cancer, lifestyle and dietary habits, higher serum manganese levels were associated with a lower risk of oral cancer(OR=0.82, 95%CI 0.76-0.88)(P<0.01). Multiplicative interaction was observed between serum manganese and gender(OR=2.06, 95%CI 1.26-3.35), intake of eggs(OR=0.52, 95%CI 0.36-0.86), poultry meat(OR=1.99, 95%CI 1.21-3.28) and milk and dairy products(OR=2.40, 95%CI 1.59-3.62) in the development of oral cancer(P<0.01).

Serum manganese is negatively correlated with the risk of oral cancer, multiplicative interaction was observed between serum manganese and the intake of some dietary components.