The determination of zinc, copper and iron oxidation state in invasive ductal carcinoma of breast tissue and normal surrounding tissue using XANES

X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy was used to examine the oxidation state of Zn, Fe and Cu in 22 normal and 23 tumour regions spread over 30 formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded tissue samples of human primary invasive breast cancer. A micro‐mapping analysis of the metal distribution in the tissue was performed prior to the XANES analysis to identify and localise the metals in the tumour and normal tissue regions. The aim …