Although the close relationships between most of the trace elements and tumor formation mechanisms are very well-defined, studies on some elements such as zinc are still ongoing. When examining studies on brain tumors, it was observed that studies investigating the role played by serum zinc levels on tumor etiology and prognosis have gained momentum. In this study, we investigate the relationship between different brain tumor types and serum zinc levels by quantitatively analyzing serum zinc levels in patients with primary brain tumors. In this study, we measured serum zinc levels of 33 brain tumor patients as well as 35 healthy individuals serving as a control group. Metal concentrations were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Serum zinc levels were lower in patients with primary brain tumors compared to control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, patients' serum zinc levels were significantly different according to their brain tumor types and also according to their age (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that brain tumor patients' serum zinc levels may play a role in tumor etiology, typology, and prognosis.
Keywords: Brain tumors; Malignancy grade; Trace elements; Zinc.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.