Estimation of Serum Micronutrient Levels and The Possible Risk Of Oral Cancer And Premalignancy

The oral cancer is one of the most prevalent type of cancer worldwide. It is invariably linked to lifestyle habits like alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and poor nutritional status. This apart, the role of micronutrients in oral carcinogenesis still remains less understood. So the study was undertaken to assess the micronutrient levels of oral cancer and precancerous patients.The estimation of Haemoglobin showed there was no significant difference between controls, premalignancy cases and in cancerous conditions. Zinc and copper level levels were significantly lower in cases than in controls .There is a positive correlation between serum iron and selenium level and oral cancer patients, yet we didn’t find significant increase in serum iron level either in precancerous or oral cancer patients. This study may indicate that very high or low levels of micronutrients associated with oral carcinoma. Yet moderate amount of micronutrients in diet may have protective effect on oral carcinoma which requires further research in these lines. Keywords; Oral cancer, iron, micronutrients, copper.