Zinc concentrations in serum during head and neck cancer progression.

UNLABELLED Reduced serum-zinc concentrations are well known as typical laboratory characteristics in advanced head and neck cancer. Our aim was to follow the development of this phenomenon during the disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 21 patients were included in this pilot-study (1 female, 20 male). The median age was 64 years, range 43-80 years. The following tumour localizations were registered: 11 larynx, 4 oropharynx, 2 hypopharynx and 4 other. Serum zinc levels were registered at baseline and during the follow-up investigations using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. RESULTS The median follow-up time was 17 months, range 6-43 months. During the follow-up, 9/21 patients died tumour-dependently, 2 patients were living with cancer, 8 patients showed NED, and a further 2 patients died of non-cancer related causes. The zinc concentration decreased from 0.76 mmol/l (0.48-1.07 mmol/l) to 0.55 mmol/l (0.32-1.01 mmol/l). Nine of 11 patients with cancer developed extremely low serum zinc concentration 4-6 weeks before dying. CONCLUSION The serum zinc concentration may be a marker for definitive palliative situations in head and neck cancer patients.