Academic Journal
Serum Zinc, Copper, and Lead Levels in Iraqi Gastric Cancer Patients: A Gender-Stratified Case-Control Study with ROC Diagnostic Analysis.
| Τίτλος: | Serum Zinc, Copper, and Lead Levels in Iraqi Gastric Cancer Patients: A Gender-Stratified Case-Control Study with ROC Diagnostic Analysis. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Al-Khafaji KHA; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Kufa, Najaf, Iraq., Mohsin MD; Department of Radiology Techniques, College of Health and Medical Techniques, Al-Zahraa University for Women, Karbala, Iraq., Kadhim SA; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Kufa, Al-Najaf, Iraq., Al-Khafaji QS; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Kufa, Al-Najaf, Iraq., Hameed BS; Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Kufa, Al-Najaf, Iraq., Heydaryan K; Department of Medical Biochemical Analysis, Cihan University-Erbil, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. kamran.heydaryan@cihanuniversity.edu.iq. |
| Πηγή: | Biological trace element research [Biol Trace Elem Res] 2026 Sep; Vol. 204 (9), pp. 6734-6743. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 14. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Humana Press Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 7911509 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1559-0720 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01634984 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Biol Trace Elem Res Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: [London, Clifton, N. J.] Humana Press. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Stomach Neoplasms*/blood , Stomach Neoplasms*/diagnosis , Lead*/blood , Copper*/blood , Zinc*/blood, Humans ; Male ; Female ; Case-Control Studies ; Iraq ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; Adult ; Aged ; Sex Factors |
| Περίληψη: | Trace element imbalances are implicated in cancer pathophysiology, yet data from Iraq, a country with distinct environmental and industrial exposures, remain scarce. The stomach plays a central role in trace element absorption through its acidic environment and digestive processes, and gastric cancer disrupts this function, potentially altering systemic trace element homeostasis. This study measured serum zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and lead (Pb) concentrations in gastric cancer patients and evaluated their diagnostic potential with gender-stratified analysis. A case-control study was conducted in Najaf, Iraq (2022-2024), enrolling 100 gastric cancer patients and 100 age-matched healthy controls (50 males and 50 females per group). Serum Zn and Cu were quantified by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS); Pb was measured by graphite furnace AAS (GFAAS). Independent samples t-tests compared group differences, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis assessed diagnostic accuracy. Female patients showed significantly lower serum Zn (100.43 ± 64.25 vs. 818.31 ± 130.26 ppb, p < 0.001) and higher Cu (1466.87 ± 568.69 vs. 977.79 ± 249.30 ppb, p < 0.001) compared to healthy controls. Male patients showed significantly lower Cu (89.50 ± 15.50 vs. 173.14 ± 98.94 ppb, p < 0.001), while Zn did not differ significantly (p = 0.394). Serum Pb was elevated in both sexes (females: 40.31 ± 9.43 vs. 11.98 ± 2.68 ppb; males: 44.79 ± 10.33 vs. 12.38 ± 2.68 ppb; both p < 0.001). ROC analysis showed Pb to be the strongest discriminator in both sexes (AUC = 0.989), while Zn was a strong discriminator in females (AUC = 0.994) but poor in males (AUC = 0.396). Serum Pb showed consistent elevation across both sexes and strong diagnostic accuracy, suggesting its potential as a cancer-associated biomarker in this population. Gender-specific differences in Zn and Cu underscore the role of sex as a biological modifier in trace element metabolism during gastric cancer. Larger multicenter studies with comprehensive environmental and dietary data are warranted. (© 2026. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing: Process During the preparation of this work, the authors used Quillbot, and Grammarly to rephrase and edit the text grammatically and in terms of typos. After using these tools/services, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Atomic absorption spectrometry; Biomarker; Copper; Gastric cancer; Gender differences; Iraq; Lead; Trace elements; Zinc |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 2P299V784P (Lead) 789U1901C5 (Copper) J41CSQ7QDS (Zinc) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260514 Date Completed: 20260804 Latest Revision: 20260804 |
| Update Code: | 20260804 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s12011-026-05145-y |
| PMID: | 42132970 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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