Chromium and manganese levels in the scalp hair of normals and patients with breast cancer.

The adverse health effects linked with chromium and manganese and the diverse cellular and molecular effects of chromium and manganese make the study of chromium and manganese carcinogenesis and toxicology very interesting and complex. Quantitative elemental analysis of scalp hair of breast cancer patients (stage III) (n=26) and controls (n=27) were used to study to find correlation and possible changes between breast cancer and healthy controls. The graphite furnace atomic absorption analysis of quantitative method was used for the determination of chromium and manganese element levels. Comparison of mean elemental contents of the breast cancer patients with controls shows a significant enhancement of chromium (p<0.05) but declining trends for manganese (p<0.05) in breast cancer patients. Changes in element content in hair can serve as a guide to opening up new vistas in the treatment of breast cancer on the basis of an overall analysis of symptoms and signs.