Positive Health Online

Abstract

ZACHARA and colleagues, Department of Biochemistry, University School of Medical Sciences, Bydzoszca, Poland studied selenium (Se) concentration in cancerous and tumour-free lung tissue in lung cancer patients .

Background

Methodology

Blood samples were taken from 84 cancer patients and 61 healthy controls. Normal and neoplastic lung tissues were taken from 57 patients at time of surgery. Se concentration and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity was measured in whole blood and plasma.

Results

Compared with controls, Se concentrations in whole blood and plasma were lower in lung cancer patients by 23% and GSH-Px activity in red cells was lower by 20.2% and in plasma by 11.7%. Tumour Se level was higher by 66.6% and GSH Px activity by 49.5% than in adjacent tumour-free tissue. There were no differences in Se concentrations and GSH-Px activities in squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma or among the clinical stages of the diseases. Compared with nonsmokers, there were significantly lower Se concentrations in whole blood and plasma of smokers in cancer patients and there were significantly lower Se concentrations in cancer patients who smoked compared with controls .

Conclusion

These results demonstrate that antioxidant ability as measured by Se and GSH-Px is reduced significantly in the blood of cancer patients. The cause of increased Se and GSH-Px in the malignant part of the lung is not understood and needs further research.

References

Zachara BA et al. Decreased selenium concentration and glutathione peroxidase activity in blood and increase of these parameters in malignant tissue of lung cancer patients. Lung 175(5): 321-32. 1997.

Comment

The above research studies demonstrate the body of research accumulating which documents the relationship between inadequate Selenium levels, immune response and cancer risk.