Radon concentrations and CBC parameters in lung cancer patients at Al-Najaf governorate, Iraq

The research described in this paper aimed to identify ²²²Rn concentrations in the serum of healthy individuals and lung cancer patients. Additionally, CBC parameters such as WBC (White Blood Cell count), RBC (Red Blood Cells), MCH (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin), and PLT (Platelets) were measured and their correlation with the corresponding ²²²Rn concentrations in the serum of the lung cancer patients was investigated. ²²²Rn concentrations in serum samples were measured using a CR-39 detector. The mean ²²²Rn concentration in the serum of the patients was 22.62 ± 3.85 Bq/m³, while that in serum of the healthy individuals was 2.72 ± 0.71 Bq/m³. Also, it was found that the mean WBC, RBC, MCH, and PLT levels in the serum of the patients were 7.15 ± 0.58 cells/L, 4.24 ± 0.17 cells/L, 29.23 ± 0.60 pg, and 285.52 ± 21.78 cells/L, respectively. The results revealed statistically significant differences in ²²²Rn concentrations when comparing the samples of the patients with those of the healthy individuals. In addition, a reasonable correlation was found (p < 0.01) between the ²²²Rn concentrations and MCH levels in serum of the patients. It is concluded that, given the observed correlations, further studies are necessary to investigate whether there is any causal relationship behind the observed correlations.