Trace element concentrations in renal cell carcinoma.

Cadmium, zinc, copper levels and zinc-copper, zinc-bromine, iorn-zinc, iron-copper and iron-bromine ratios are measured in neoplastic and normal kidney samples from humans by the particle induced X-ray emission analysis (PIXE) technique. It is found that cadmium which is normally present in the tubular cells of kidney is not detectable in tumor samples. It is also observed that the zinc-copper ratios in all neoplastic kidney tissues are decreased, but this observation cannot be extended to other element ratios.