Background: Many women around the world suffer from benign breast diseases. The etiology of this disease remains largely unclear, although it is known that disturbances of somatic elemental homeostasis play a certain role in breast pathology.

Objective: This study was aimed at identifying changes in the content of 35 trace elements during the benign transformation of breast tissue.

Method: For this purpose, we used the previously developed method of sample preparation, which allows determining the content of Al, As, B, Ba, Bi, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Ga, Ge, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Nb, Nd, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sb, Se, Sn, Sr, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, W, Zn, and Zr in micro samples of breast tissue by using mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma. Using the developed technique, samples of benignly transformed and normal breast tissue were examined.

Results: Both from the data obtained in the present study and from our calculations made based on literature data, it was found that the content of such elements as Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Mg, Mn, Mo, Se, Sr, and Zn in benignly transformed tissue is higher than in normal breast tissue.

Conclusions: The detected multiple increase in the content of many trace elements in benignly transformed tissue compared to normal breast tissue can be used to develop new methods for in vitro and in vivo diagnostics, in which the trace elements levels in breast lesion will act as markers. Further deeper study and understanding of the detected phenomenon will allow the development of new methods for the prevention and treatment of benign breast diseases.

Keywords: benign breast diseases; trace elements; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; benignly transformed breast tissue; normal breast tissue.