title: [Analysis of trace elements by proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) in serum of patients with liver cancer and normal subjects].
abstract: The levels of trace elements in serum of the patients with liver cancer and the normal subjects were determined by the PIXE technique. The significant increase of serum copper level (SCL) and the decrease of serum zinc level (SZL) in the patients with liver cancer, as compared to those of normal, were observed. Cu/Zn ratio in the patients with liver cancer was significantly higher than that of the normal (P less than 0.01). In the Cartesian coordinate graph of SCL + SZL, the liver cancer patients were separated from the normal by a line joining the intersection of abscissa and ordinate and the point of the sum of the mean value and the standard deviation of the Cu/Zn ratio of the normal subjects. The authors believe that the serum Cu/Zn ratio is likely a supplementary target in the diagnosis and prognosis of liver cancer.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011522:Protons; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000097:blood*; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D011522:Protons; D014131:Trace Elements; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron; D015032:Zinc