Pixe Using Cyclotron and Lung Cancer Pathogenesis

The lung lobes of patients with bronchial carcinoma, removed during surgical operation were submitted to analysis of mineral content, by the particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) method. The content of the tumor itself was measured and compared to the content of surrounding non cancerous tissue. These results were then opposed to those previously obtained at autopsy from the lungs of patients in the same range of age, deceased of various non cancerous diseases. The most striking finding was very high values for several elements around the tumour, and among them, the more constantly elevated were : chromium, nickel and titanium which may reach tenfold values, compared with the reference group.