Elemental changes in skin from patients with basal cell carcinoma.
Intracellular ionic shifts have been described in connection with normal and abnormal cell proliferation. This study was conducted to determine the elemental composition of a cell tumor classified as basal cell carcinoma in skin. The biopsies were taken from 10 patients. Control biopsies were taken from the non-affected skin from the same patients. Cryosections were cut and attached to carbon specimen holders. After freeze drying the sections were analyzed by X-ray microanalysis in a scanning microscope. The X-ray microanalytical results showed that the content of magnesium, phosphorus and potassium was significantly higher in the cancer cells than in the control cells (p < 0.05). The content of sodium, chlorine, calcium and sulfur was similar in both affected and unaffected cells. We conclude from these data that basal cell carcinoma has a characteristic elemental composition. It is possible that increased potassium and magnesium levels have a stimulatory effect on this tumor type, in contrast to other types of cancer cells where elevated sodium and chlorine and lowered potassium levels have frequently been found.
Wallberg
P
P
Karolinska Institute, Department of Dermatology, Söder Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Lindberg
M
M
Alsterborg
E
E
Roomans
G M
GM
Wróblewski
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D004577:Electron Probe Microanalysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008875:Middle Aged