Can selenium levels act as a marker of colorectal cancer risk?

Marcin R Lener,Satish Gupta,Grzegorz Sukiennicki,Jan Lubiński,Katarzyna Durda,Anna Jakubowska,Martin Tootsi,Magdalena Muszyńska,Katarzyna Jaworska-Bieniek,Pablo Serrano-Fernández,Mari-Liis Tammesoo,Anu Viitak,Józef Kładny,Maria Kulp,Anders Metspalu,Rodney J Scott

doi:10.1186/1471-2407-13-214

Abstract

BackgroundSelenium has attracted attention because of its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants protects cells from damage. Certain breakdown products of selenium are believed to prevent tumor growth by enhancing the immune cell activity and suppressing the development of tumor blood vessels. In this observational study, selenium level was measured in a series of patients from Poland and Estonia to determine a correlation between levels of this microelement and colorectal cancer risk.MethodsA total of 169 colorectal cancer patients and 169 healthy controls were enrolled in the study after obtaining their informed consent. Selenium level in the blood serum was measured using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (GFAAS). The statistical analysis was performed by Fisher’s exact test.ResultsThe threshold point of selenium level was 55 μg/l and 65 μg/l for Poland and Estonia respectively, for an increase in cancer risk. The lower levels of selenium were associated with greater risk of colorectal cancer.ConclusionsThe result reveals a significant strong association between low selenium level and the colorectal cancer risk in both Estonian and Polish populations.

Highlights

Selenium has attracted attention because of its antioxidant properties
We investigated the selenium concentration in a series of colorectal cancer patients from Poland and Estonia to determine whether there was a correlation between low levels of this micronutrient and colorectal cancer
The lower levels of selenium were associated with greater risk of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer

Summary

Introduction

Selenium has attracted attention because of its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants protects cells from damage. Certain breakdown products of selenium are believed to prevent tumor growth by enhancing the immune cell activity and suppressing the development of tumor blood vessels. In this observational study, selenium level was measured in a series of patients from Poland and Estonia to determine a correlation between levels of this microelement and colorectal cancer risk. The low levels of selenium is associated with an increased risk of malignancy [1,2]. People of Central Europe have very low exposure to selenium compared to higher endogenous levels in North America [4].

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Conclusion