PIXE Analysis of Brain Tumor: sample preparation and its clinical feature

As sample preparation technique for PIXE analysis of brain tumor, “homogenizing method” and “chemical ashing method” have been studied and developed. It is concluded that chemical ashing method is quite appropriate for biological sample preparation. By taking samples of surgically removed brain tumor (meningioma) and brain tumor cell line (rat glioma and human glioblastoma), elemental constitution of brain tumor is compared with that of normal brain, and remarkably high concentration of Zn is found in brain tumor.