Quantitative Assessment of Serum Magnesium Levels in Head and Neck Cancer: A Tertiary Hospital Based Case Control Study

Background- Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas(HNSCC) are one of the most widespread malignancies worldwide. Trace elements such as magnesium are essential at cellular level, and it has been suggested that magnesium plays a role in carcinogenesis.

Methods- A hospital based case control study was conducted in a tertiary care medical college with an aim to determine the levels of serum magnesium in patients with head and neck cancer and to compare the levels of serum magnesium of head and neck cancer patients with healthy matched control group and derive significance if any.

Results- HNSCC was mainly found in males of age group 46 to 55 years. The mean serum Mg value of head and neck cancer patients was 0.71± 0.18 mmol/l while that seen in controls was 0.85± 0.09 mmol/l which was significantly lower(p<0.001). Average serum magnesium levels in stages I, II, III and IV were 0.85, 0.849, 0.682 and 0.554 mmol/l respectively, and a statistically significant association was determined between the two.

Conclusion- As the stage of cancer progressed, average magnesium levels decreased congruently, hence establishing that magnesium levels were undeniably correlated to onset as well as progression of HNC. These evidences could be utilized to identify role of magnesium asa potential prognostic biomarker to assess progression of disease or clinical response to various modes of therapy in head and neck cancer patients.