title: Serum copper levels in benign and malignant thyroid diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the changes in serum copper (Cu) levels in benign and malignant thyroid disease in humans.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Thyroid hormones influence the metabolism of trace elements including copper.
  
  
  METHODS
  47 papillary thyroid cancer and 43 benign multinodular goitre patients who underwent total thyroidectomy and 37 healthy control subjects were included into this study. All of the patients and controls were females. Serum Cu levels were detected with atomic absorption spectrophotometer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the papillary thyroid cancer group serum level of Cu was 131.61 ± 33.9 μg/dL before surgery and 120.81 ± 30.4 μg/dL after 20 days from surgery. In the benign group serum Cu level was 84.75 ± 12.1 μg/dL and 68.01 ± 9.4 μg/dL postoperatively.These results were compared to healthy control's value of 105.87 ± 10.68 μg/dL. In the papillary thyroid cancer group pre- and postoperative serum Cu level was significantly higher when compared to control group (p<0.05). Postoperative serum Cu level significantly decreased when compared to pre-operative level(p<0.05), in which, it was still higher than the control(p<0.05). In the benign group pre- and postoperative serum Cu level was significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.05).Postoperative serum Cu level significantly decreased when compared to pre-operative level in the benign group (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is a pioneer study to examine serum Cu level in benign and malignant thyroid patients compared to controls. In our small groups serum Cu levels increased in malignant thyroid patients and decreased in the benign group (Tab. 1, Ref. 18).
authors.affiliation: Celal Bayar University, Department of Biochemistry, Manisa, Turkey.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kosova
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cetin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akinci
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aslan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pirhan
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000097:blood*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006044:Goiter, Nodular / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D003300:Copper