Devi Varsha, Chaudhary Vaibhav, Sharma Monika, Kumari Sweta, Murti Krishna, Meenakshi Sarasa, Pal Biplab
St. Soldier Institute of Pharmacy, Jalandhar, Punjab, India.
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2025 Jan 8. doi: 10.1007/s12011-024-04510-z.
Prostate cancer (PC) is a common malignancy among men globally. Although genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors contribute to its development, the role of heavy metals remains unclear. This study evaluated serum levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, and nickel in PC patients compared to healthy controls. An extensive search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar identified relevant studies published up to December 2023. Studies reporting the mean and standard deviation of serum heavy metal levels in PC patients and controls were included. Random-effects models were used to estimate mean differences (MD) or standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was evaluated based on I index, and publication bias was examined using funnel plots. Seven studies involving 691 participants were included. No significant difference was found in serum levels of arsenic between PC patients and controls (MD: 0.04, 95% CI: [-0.15, 0.23]; p = 0.68). Cadmium (SMD: 0.93, 95% CI: [-0.06, 1.93]; p = 0.07) and lead (SMD: 0.65, 95% CI: [-0.22, 1.52]; p = 0.14) were higher in PC patients but not statistically significant. Mercury levels also showed no substantial difference (MD: 0.22, 95% CI: [-0.27, 0.70]; p = 0.38). However, serum nickel levels were significantly higher in PC patients (SMD: 0.62, 95% CI: [0.07, 1.16]; p = 0.03). The study demonstrated a substantial increase in serum concentration of nickel in PC patients compared to controls, indicating a potential role of nickel in PC pathogenesis. Although other heavy metals showed elevated levels in PC patients, these differences were not statistically significant. Further research is needed to explore nickel as a potential biomarker for early PC detection.
前列腺癌（PC）是全球男性中常见的恶性肿瘤。尽管遗传、激素和环境因素会促使其发生发展，但重金属的作用仍不明确。本研究评估了前列腺癌患者与健康对照者血清中砷、镉、铅、汞和镍的水平。通过广泛检索PubMed、Embase、Scopus和谷歌学术，确定了截至2023年12月发表的相关研究。纳入了报告前列腺癌患者和对照者血清重金属水平均值及标准差的研究。采用随机效应模型估计平均差（MD）或标准化平均差（SMD）及95%置信区间（CI）。基于I指数评估异质性，并使用漏斗图检查发表偏倚。纳入了7项涉及691名参与者的研究。前列腺癌患者与对照者血清砷水平无显著差异（MD：0.04，95%CI：[-0.15，0.23]；p = 0.68）。前列腺癌患者镉（SMD：0.93，95%CI：[-0.06，1.93]；p = 0.07）和铅（SMD：0.65，95%CI：[-0.22，1.52]；p = 0.14）水平较高，但无统计学意义。汞水平也无显著差异（MD：0.22，95%CI：[-0.27，0.70]；p = 0.38）。然而，前列腺癌患者血清镍水平显著更高（SMD：0.62，95%CI：[0.07，1.16]；p = 0.03）。该研究表明，与对照者相比，前列腺癌患者血清镍浓度大幅升高，表明镍在前列腺癌发病机制中可能发挥作用。尽管其他重金属在前列腺癌患者中水平也有所升高，但这些差异无统计学意义。需要进一步研究探索镍作为早期前列腺癌检测潜在生物标志物的可能性。
