Abstract
Summary
Serum iron levels were determined on individuals in the following categories (average value indicated in parenthesis) : controls (81.0), cancer with no metastases (77.1), cancer with regional metastases (64.2), cancer with widespread metastases (47.8), nonmalignant disease (outpatients) (85.2), nonmalignant disease (inpatients) (83.0) and tuberculosis (54.7). Serum iron levels in patients with advanced breast cancer were not significantly different from the levels observed in cancer patients without metastases. The data indicate that the serum iron levels may be related to the extent of metastases, but that they are not a factor in determination of the presence of cancer per se.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.