Comparative study of the role of zinc in the scar recovery after abdominal hysterectomy in women with and without cancer and its relation with anthropometric indices of women referred to Tabriz hospitals: A case-control study

It is possible that zinc levels in cancer patients are lower than normal people and this may prolong the treatment process of these patients. Therefore, the present study was performed with aim to compare the role of zinc in scar recovery after abdominal hysterectomy in women with and without cancer and its relation to anthropometric indices of women referring to Tabriz hospitals.

This case-control study was conducted in Tabriz hospitals with the participation of 84 women )after abdominal hysterectomy( in 2018. Demographic data, anthropometric indices, serum zinc level and scar recovery status (based on researcher-made questionnaire) of each patient were recorded after abdominal hysterectomy. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 20) and Pearson correlation coefficient, Chi-square and independent t-test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Mean serum zinc level in cancer patients was 43.13±4.93 μg / dl and in those without cancer was 118.73 ± 11.42 μg / dl (P=0.009). The majority of patients with cancer (71.42% ) had a better-than-average period of wound healing, while the majority of patients without cancer (80.95%) were associated with normal healing (P=0.003). Significant positive correlation was found between zinc level only in weight index in cancer patients (r=0.112 , P=0.005) and positive relationships were seen in other indicators of cancer patients and non-cancer patients, but were not statistically significant.

Low levels of zinc lead to undesirable effects on timely recovery in cancer patients after abdominal hysterectomy compared to non-cancer ones.