en Medical Physics Medical Physics Original Research Original Research <strong>Background: </strong>Use of hair samples to analyze the trace element concentrations is one of the interesting fields among many researchers. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is considered as one of the most common methods in studying the concentration of elements in tissues and also crystalline materials, using low energy X-ray. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the concentration of the trace elements in the scalp hair sample through XRF spectroscopy using signal processing techniques as a screening tool for prostate cancer.<br> &nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Methods:</strong> Hair samples of 22 men (including 11 healthy and 11 patients) were analyzed. All the sample donors were Iranian men. EDXRF method was used for the measurements.&nbsp; Signals were analyzed, and signal features such as mean, root-mean-square (RMS), variance, and standard deviation, skewness, and energy were investigated. The Man-Whitney U test was used to compare the trace element concentrations. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used to identify which extracted feature could help to identify healthy and patient people. P values &le; 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 16.0 software.<br> &nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Results:</strong> The mean&plusmn;SD age was 67.8&plusmn;8.7 years in the patient group and 61.4&plusmn;6.9 years in the healthy group. There were statistically significant differences in the aluminum (Al, P<0.001), silicon (Si, P=0.006), and phosphorus (P, P=0.028) levels between healthy and patient groups. Skewness and variance were found to be relevant in identifying people with cancer, as signal features.<br> &nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The use of EDXRF is a feasible method to study the concentration of elements in the hair sample, and this technique may be effective in prostate cancer screening. Further study with a large sample size will be required to elucidate the efficacy of the present method in prostate cancer screening.<br> &nbsp; Prostate cancer, Hair sample, XRF, Prostate screening, Signal processing 604 613 http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-5572-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Majid Ghanbari Birgani majid.ghanbari.birganii@gmail.com 200319475328460064173 200319475328460064173 No Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Reza Reiazi reiazi.r@iums.ac.ir 200319475328460064174 200319475328460064174 Yes Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, & Medical Image and Signal Processing Research Core, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mahdieh Afkhami Ardekani m.afkhami87@gmail.com 200319475328460064175 200319475328460064175 No Department of Radiology, Faculty of Para-Medicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar-Abbas, Iran Hamed Ghaffari hamedghaffari@yahoo.com 200319475328460064176 200319475328460064176 No Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Ali Shakeri-Zadeh shakeriz@iums.ac.ir 200319475328460064177 200319475328460064177 No Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Bahram Mofid mofid429@yahoo.com 200319475328460064178 200319475328460064178 No Department of Radiation Oncology, Shohada-e-Tajrish Medical Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran