Cancer of the oral epithelium located in the upper gingiva in the light of research of energy dispersive X-ray analysis method : first report

A phenomenon of cancerous changes is one of the most difficult diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of contemporary medicine. In this paper, we have described the method which can contribute to further development of cooperation between medical doctors and physicists. We have analyzed 6 cases of cancer located in the upper gingiva using EDX method. All patients (4 males and 2 females) were diagnosed in the 1st Department and Clinic of Maxillofacial Surgery, Silesian Medical Academy in Zabrze. The authors observed the changes in the quality and the quantity of mineral composition of healthy and cancerous oral epithelia. The size of oral epithelium carcinoma in the clinical diagnosis was essentially connected with the concentration of calcium which developed into visible forms. This research will be continued, firstly, because of a small group of the patients examined and secondly, because the observed concentrations of calcium, sulphur and phosphorus have been substantially higher in the group of patients with advanced clinical forms of the cancer. We think that this physical method could help in early diagnostics and monitoring of the cancer located in the upper gingiva.