Copper-Zinc ratio and nutritional status in colorectal cancer patients during the perioperative period

Sofia Miranda de Figueiredo Ribeiro, Amanda Maria Tomazini Munhoz Moya, Camila Bitu Moreno Braga, Fernanda Aparecida Domenici, Marley Ribeiro Feitosa, Omar Feres, José Joaquim Ribeiro da Rocha, Selma Freire de Carvalho da Cunha

This study aimed to determine Cu/Zn ratio, nutritional and inflammatory status in patients during the perioperative period for colorectal cancer. The study included patients with histological diagnosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma (Cancer Group, n=46) and healthy volunteers (Control Group, n=28). We determined habitual food intake, body composition, laboratory data of nutritional status, serum calprotectin and plasma Cu and Zn concentrations. Mann-Whitney U-test was performed between-group comparisons and Spearman correlation test for correlations between the variables. Individuals in the Cancer Group presented significantly lower BMI, fat mass, plasma hemoglobin, total protein and albumin as compared with the Control Group. Serum calprotectin[70.1 ng/mL (CI95% 55.8-84.5) vs.53.3 ng/mL (40.3-66.4), p=0.05], plasma Cu concentrations [120 µg/dL(CI95% 114-126) vs. 106 µg/dL(CI95% 98-114), p<0.01] and the Cu/Zn ratio [1.59 (CI95% 1.48-1.71)vs. 1.35 (CI95% 1.23-1.46), p=0.01]were higher in patients with colorectal cancer than in controls. Additionally, the Cancer Group showed negative correlations between the Cu/Zn ratio and Zn intake, hemoglobin, serum albumin, and positive correlation between the Cu/Zn ratio and serum calprotectin. These results indicate that an increased plasma Cu/Zn ratio and serum calprotectin, and decreased protein values may be a result of the systemic inflammatory response to the tumor process.