New Selenoderivatives as Antitumoral Agents

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common male malignancy in Western countries and the second most common urological malignancy (Knudsen & Vasioukhin, 2010). In 2008 the estimated new cases for PC in the European Union were 382.000 (Ferlay et al. 2010). The possibility of early detection is attractive to clinicians and potential patients in spite of the fact that until recently concrete evidence that screening would influence PC mortality was lacking (Schroder, 2010). There are many risk factors for PC occurrence. The family history, genetic and environmental factors and their interaction can contribute to develop PC (Colloca & Venturino, 2011). Other risk factors are age, ethnic-racial-geographic factors, named constitutional factors, though it is not possible to know what percentage of these neoplasms are a result of these risk factors (Ferris-i-Tortajada et al. 2011). The polymorphisms in genes associated with PC probably represent the most part of familial PC burden. The recent advances in genomic research have made it possible to identify several new genomic based biomarkers for PC. These markers are easy to measure and stable over time but only one biomarker, prostate specific antigen (PSA), is used in the clinical today (Aly et al. 2011). The PSA screening allows to detect PC years before the emergence of clinically evident disease, which usually represents locally advanced or metastatic cancer (Gjertson & Albertsen, 2011). Treatment options for advanced PC – including hormone ablation therapy, radiation and surgery – do not offer cure but delay the inevitable recurrence of the lethal hormone-refractory disease. Chemotherapy using available anticancer drugs, with the exception of the taxane drug docetaxel, for late stage PC does not offer any survival benefit. All of these treatments are costly and have significant side effects including impotence and incontinence, which negatively affect the quality of life of the patients. Prevention is an important strategy for limiting PC morbidity and mortality. Pharmacological and dietary interventions have potentials functions in reduction of incident cases and in inhibition of disease progression and recurrence (Silberstein & Parsons, 2010). 5-alpha reductase inhibitors remain the predominant therapy to reduce the future risk of a PC diagnosis. Dutasteride and finasteride are currently the only proven agents for PC risk reduction (Strope & Andriole, 2010). Among the potential dietary intervention efforts to use of the micro-nutrient selenium (Se) in PC clinical trials is emerging as an important highlight and the outcomes indicate that Se is a promising treatment. Furthermore, Se inhibits PC through multiple mechanisms, and it is beneficial in controlling the development of this disease (Abdulah