Iron and Manganese Concentrations in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Assessed by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry an Exploratory Case–Control Study

Haneen W. Khadum Al-Khalidi; Hadeel H. Abed

doi:10.71229/40xg8q05

Authors

Haneen W. Khadum Al-Khalidi Department of Mathematics, College of Education, Al-Qasim Green University, Babylon, Iraq
Hadeel H. Abed General Directorate of Education in Najaf Governorate, Najaf, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71229/40xg8q05

Keywords:

atomic absorption spectrophotometry, case-control study, manganese

Abstract

Background: Iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) are essential trace elements whose concentration is variable based on biological matrix, nutritional status, environmental exposure, systemic disease and treatment. The information on their levels in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is still scanty and conflicting.

Methods: The study was conducted as a case-control study at Amir Al-Momineen Specialty Hospital/Clinic for Thyroid Diseases and recruited 40 participants with PTC and 40 healthy controls from March to June 2022. Blood Fe and Mn were analyzed with a Shimadzu AA-7000 atomic absorption spectrophotometer while serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was analyzed with a Cobas e 411 analyzer. Effect estimates were reconstructed from the summary statistics in the supplied manuscript and require confirmation from the participant-level dataset.

Results: The reported mean age was 41.37 ± 9.71 years in the PTC group and 39.73 ± 9.96 years in controls (mean difference 1.64 years, 95% CI -2.74 to 6.02; P = 0.458). Reported TSH, Fe, and Mn values were higher in the PTC group than in controls: TSH 6.15 ± 2.10 versus 1.56 ± 0.31 (mean difference 4.59, 95% CI 3.91 to 5.27); Fe 1055.24 ± 87.60 versus 795.84 ± 82.60 (mean difference 259.40, 95% CI 221.50 to 297.30); and Mn 0.847 ± 0.080 versus 0.380 ± 0.030 (mean difference 0.467, 95% CI 0.440 to 0.494); all P < 0.001. Exploratory areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were reported as 0.856 for Fe and 0.844 for Mn.

Conclusion: The available summary results indicate between-group differences in blood Fe, Mn, and serum TSH. These observations do not establish causation or clinical diagnostic utility, and they require confirmation after verification of the participant denominator, treatment status, analytical method, units, confounding variables, and original dataset.

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