Zinc concentrations in serum during head and neck cancer progression.
Reduced serum-zinc concentrations are well known as typical laboratory characteristics in advanced head and neck cancer. Our aim was to follow the development of this phenomenon during the disease.


METHODS
A total of 21 patients were included in this pilot-study (1 female, 20 male). The median age was 64 years, range 43-80 years. The following tumour localizations were registered: 11 larynx, 4 oropharynx, 2 hypopharynx and 4 other. Serum zinc levels were registered at baseline and during the follow-up investigations using flame atomic absorption spectrometry.


RESULTS
The median follow-up time was 17 months, range 6-43 months. During the follow-up, 9/21 patients died tumour-dependently, 2 patients were living with cancer, 8 patients showed NED, and a further 2 patients died of non-cancer related causes. The zinc concentration decreased from 0.76 mmol/l (0.48-1.07 mmol/l) to 0.55 mmol/l (0.32-1.01 mmol/l). Nine of 11 patients with cancer developed extremely low serum zinc concentration 4-6 weeks before dying.


CONCLUSIONS
The serum zinc concentration may be a marker for definitive palliative situations in head and neck cancer patients.
Büntzel
Jens
J
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Südharzkrankenhaus Nordhausen, Nordhausen, Germany. jens.buentzel@shk-ndh.de
Bruns
Frank
F
Glatzel
Michael
M
Garayev
Asadulla
A
Mücke
Ralph
R
Kisters
Klaus
K
Schäfer
Ulrich
U
Schönekaes
Klaus
K
Micke
Oliver
O
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015032:Zinc