Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide. The liver is the main site of trace element metabolism. Zinc (Zn) is essential for the function of numerous enzymatic molecules. Magnesium (Mg) is fundamental for many physiological and biochemical functions.
The Aim to Work: This work aimed to estimate levels of Mg and Zn in the sera of cirrhotic patients with HCC compared to those in cirrhotic patients without HCC and in healthy subjects. Also, we aimed to evaluate the association of serum levels of Zn and Mg and the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging of HCC.
Patients and methods: 100 participants were enrolled in our cross-sectional hospital-based study: 60 patients with liver cirrhosis and HCC, 20 cirrhotic patients without HCC, and 20 healthy subjects. Serum levels of Zn and Mg were measured for all subjects. HCC was staged according to BCLC.
Results: This study included 57 males and 43 females; their age was 58.72±14.10. HCC patients had statistically significant lower levels of serum Mg and Zn in comparison to cirrhotic group and healthy controls (p=0.0001 for each). The highest level of serum Mg was seen in patients with BCLC stage C which was significantly higher than the levels seen in stages A and D (p=0.004, p<0.0001 respectively). Serum Zn was not significantly different among BCLC stages.
Conclusions: Serum levels of Mg and Zn are lower in HCC patients in comparison to cirrhotic patients without HCC and healthy subjects. Thus, patients with cirrhotic HCC need Mg and Zn supplementation to compensate for their deficiency.