Serum levels of copper and zinc, copper/zinc ratio in patients with benign and malignant ovarian tumors

Abstract

Background and purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the serum concentration of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and copper/zinc ratio (Cu/Zn) in patients with ovarian cancer to compare with those in patients with benign ovarian lesions. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 50 patients with ovarian cancer (malignant group) and 50 patients with benign ovarian lesions (benign group). Serum concentration of Cu and Zn were measured by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). Chi-square test and student's t-test was used for analyzing the data using SPSS. Results: History of lactation and positive blood RH were higher in malignant group compared with benign group. There was a significant increase in mean serum levels of Cu (P<0.001) and the ratio of Cu/Zn (P<0.01) in malignant group compared with the benign group. However, there was no significant difference in the mean serum levels of Zn between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: The study showed that serum copper and copper/zinc ratio were significantly higher in patients with ovarian cancer when compared with those patients with benign ovarian lesions. It seems that determination of serum copper and copper/zinc ratio can be used as a method to diagnose or to monitor the effect of treatment on ovarian cancers.