SERUM SELENIUM LEVELS AS INDICATORS OF BODY STATUS IN CANCER-PATIENTSAND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER NUTRITIONAL AND BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS

A cross-sectional study of serum selenium levels in patients (n = 59) with different types of cancer from southeastern Spain was carried out using hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. The subjects were divided into four groups according to the cancer location (respi ratory, digestive, haematological and gynaecological groups). Serum se lenium levels in all patients (54.41 +/- 24.80 mg/l) were significantl y lower (P < 0.001) than those determined in control groups [healthy s ubjects from the same area (n = 130) and institutionalized elderly peo ple (n = 93)]. Mean serum selenium concentrations were not significant ly different among the four groups considered (P > 0.05). Linear regre ssion analyses performed on serum selenium levels and biochemical mark ers (total cholesterol, triglycerides, transaminases, uric acid and ur ea) did not establish any statistically significant correlation (P > 0 .05). No significant relationships between serum selenium concentratio ns and sex or age of patients was observed (P > 0.05). Given the marke d overlap between the two ranges of the populations (the means are wit hin approx. 1/2 S.D.) the predictive values of serum selenium are low. Thus, there is indeed a statistical significance between the means, b ut selenium cannot be used to determine whether or not a patient has c ancer disease. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.