Studies of plasma zinc, copper, caeruloplasmin, and growth hormone

Abstract

SUMMARY The levels of plasma zinc, copper, caeruloplasmin, and growth hormone were determined in a group of normal people and in four groups of patients who were suffering from carcinoma of the bronchus, other forms of malignancy, chest illnesses, and diseases other than chest illness or malignancy. The plasma zinc was higher, and the plasma copper lower, in people without malignancy below the age of 30 years than they were in other age groups.It was confirmed that about 66 % of patients with carcinoma of the bronchus had plasma zinc levels less than 11 5 pmol/l but low levels were also found in 23 % of other cases of malignancy and in 9 % of the other patients. In carcinoma of the bronchus the low plasma zinc was found to be associated with epidermoid and anaplastic tumours and was to some extent related to the duration of the disease. In carcinoma of the bronchus the plasma copper was found to be higher than in all other groups, and values higher than 26&5 Atmol/l were considered to support a diagnosis of carcinoma of the bronchus. There was, however, no relationship between the increase in the plasma copper and the decrease in the plasma zinc. Raised caeruloplasmin levels above 420 mg/l were found in 65% of cases of carcinoma of the bronchus, and these high levels were usually associated with raised plasma copper. Growth hormone was normal in all groups except six patients with carcinoma of the bronchus with secondary carcinoma of the liver, in whom it was raised. Surgical operations lowered plasma zinc and raised growth hormone but did not affect plasma copper.

Serum Copper, Zinc and Ceruloplasmin Concentrations in Patients with Lung Cancer

“…However, Linder et al [16] have noted that in normal serum 67% of SCu is bound to ceruloplasmin, whereas in a cancer patient the proportion of the Cu contained in cer uloplasmin is reduced. Nevertheless SCP also increases in patients with malignant tumors [2,14], and in our study it was higher in patients with high SCu. The as says of SCP in healthy subjects, patients with nonmalignant lung disease, patients with lung cancer and patients with other malignancies performed by Linder et al [15] confirmed that SCP was higher in pa tients with malignant disease than in heal thy subjects, but such assays still had only limited value in distinguishing nonmalig nant lung disease from malignant cases.…”

“…Andrews [2] has suggested that plasma Cu values higher than 26.5 ¿¿mol/1 support a diagnosis of lung cancer, since 65% of his patients with bronchial carci noma against only 6% of the healthy sub jects or those suffering from nonmalignant chest disease had a copper level over 26.5 /tmol/1. In our study, only 15% of the patients with malignant or nonmalignant lung disease had values that high.…”

“…Investigations into the relation between serum trace metals and bronchial carci noma or other malignancies are inconclu sive, and elevated serum copper concen trations (SCu) [2,4,[10][11][12] or lowered serum zinc concentrations (SZn) [3,5,8,13,18,19] have been reported in both ma 1 This work was supported by the Finnish AntiTuberculosis Association.…”

Serum and Pleural Fluid Selenium, Copper, Zinc, and Magnesium Levels in Malignant and Nonmalignant Pleural Diseases

“…Decreased Zn and increased Cu levels have been con sistently reported in the serum of lung cancer patients [9][10][11][12]. A high level of Cu, calcium and Mg have been dem onstrated in malignant lung tissue [1], However, contra dictory data exist on the usefulness of trace metal mea surements in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer [13], We demonstrated significantly higher Cu and Mg levels in the serum of patients both with malignant and nonmalignant pleural diseases compared to healthy subjects.…”

Electron spin resonance studies on caeruloplasmin and iron transferrin in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

“…in pregnancy (Lahey et al, 1953), infection Correspondence and requests for reprints: Dr Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen. (Markovitz et al, 1955) and in other malignancies (Fisher & Shifrine, 1978;Andrews, 1979). The significance of raised copper levels in malignancy has been debated (Pocklington & Foster, 1977).…”