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ZIRCONIUM LEVELS IN SERUM AND IN TISSUE OF RENAL CELL CARCINOMA IN HUMANS
Article published in Urologia Polska 2000/53/3.

authors

Zygmunt Dobrowolski 1, Tomasz Drewniak 1, T. Cichocki 2, Wojciech Kwiatek 3
1 Katedra i Klinika Urologii Collegium Medicum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Kierownik: dr hab. n. med. Z. Dobrowolski
2 Katedra Histologii Collegium Medicum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
3 Instytut Fizyki J±drowej im. H. Niewodniczańskiego w Krakowie

keywords

kidney renal cell carcinoma (RCC) trace elernents carcinogenesis

summary

Introduction. Presence of zirconium in kidney tissue with tumour made us
to analyse its possible role in carcinogenesis in humans. Zirconium 1evels
were measured in serum, tumour mass and histologically nonneoplastic
cortex tissue from RCC patients and compared with serum concentration in
healthy subjects and control kidney cortex tissue obtained during autopsy in
which cause of death was trauma.
Methods. In 36 cases of renal cell carcinoma the histological and TNM
classification were made (T2-9, T3-18, T4-9 and G.,-9, G2-17, G3-9). An SR1XE
Synchrotron Induced X-ray Emission
the zirconium in this study. This physical analytical methods allows to detect
concentrations of zirconium about 10 ppb (parties per billion). The non-
parametric statistical analysis was used (Kruskal-Wallis, Friedman and
McNemar statistical test).
Results. The significant increase in zirconium concentration was found in the
neoplastic tissue and histologically nonneoplastic cortex tissue and showed
significant difference ( p < 0.001). Tissue concentration of zirconium was
significantly influenced by clinical TNM stage, anaplastic type of cells and
presence of distant metastases. Additionally, zirconium concentration in
histologically nonneoplastic cortex tissue was positively correlated with
tumour diameter. Significant correlation coefficients between serum and tissue
zirconium level were not found.
Conclusion. Zirconium probably acted as carcinogen for human kidney. The
increased concentration of zirconium induced more malignant kidney tumours.
A hypothesis for the possible mechanisms involving elevated eiwironmental
pollution and increasing RCC morbidity in humans re±uires further
investigation.

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