The Relationship between the Serum Level of Selenium and Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia: A Comparative Study in a Population of Nigerian Women

Oghenefegor Olokor O,Etedafe Gharoro,Michael Ezeanochie,Anthony Okonkwo,Ehiozogie Obhielo

doi:10.31557/apjcp.2019.20.5.1433

Abstract

Objective:To determine the relationship between the serum level of selenium and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN).Methods:A case controlled study that compared the serum level of selenium in 45 women with CIN (cases) to 45 women (age matched controls) with normal cervical cytology. Socio-demographic data and information on known risk factors for cervical cancer among the sample was compared between both groups using inferential statistics.Results:There was no significant difference in the mean selenium values between the cases and controls [p- 0.076, 95% CI (-15.08 – 0.76)]. However, subgroup analysis showed a statistically significant difference between patients with normal cervical cytology, CIN I, II and III (p= 0.021). In addition, there was also significant difference in the selenium level between women with normal cervical cytology and CIN III (p value = 0.016) with a significant inverse linear trend (p= 0.025).Conclusion:With increasing severity of CIN, a significant reduction in the level of selenium in serum was observed. This reducing value of serum selenium, a surrogate marker for increased oxidative stress, may be important factor for the development of persistent HPV infection and in particular high grade CIN III lesions. This observation requires further research.

Highlights

Cervical cancer, with an estimated 528,000 new cases and 266,000 deaths annually, is a leading cause of death from cancer among women worldwide especially in developing countries (Franco et al, 2003; Ferlay et al, 2015)
Recent studies suggest that risk of premalignant disease of the cervix increases with decreasing serum antioxidant system activity and reduced serum levels of micronutrients such as selenium and Vitamin E (Kim et al, 2003; Hu et al, 2017)
The results from this study shows that overall mean value of the serum selenium level reported is comparable to similar studies from this region of Nigeria (Babalola et al, 2003; Arinola and Charles-Davies, 2008; Nwagha et al, 2011; Karaye et al, 2015)

Summary

Introduction

With an estimated 528,000 new cases and 266,000 deaths annually, is a leading cause of death from cancer among women worldwide especially in developing countries (Franco et al, 2003; Ferlay et al, 2015). About 80% of sexually active individuals become infected with a high-risk HPV type with 90% of these infections cleared by immune responses of the host within two years (Ma et al, 2017). Selenium an essential trace element and component of the intracellular antioxidant glutathione peroxidise enzyme has been shown from several lines of evidence to have a protective effect against cancer development (Cunzhi et al, 2003; Kim et al, 2003). Recent studies suggest that risk of premalignant disease of the cervix increases with decreasing serum antioxidant system activity and reduced serum levels of micronutrients such as selenium and Vitamin E (Kim et al, 2003; Hu et al, 2017)

Methods

Results

Conclusion