Plasma selenium levels and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma among men withchronic hepatitis virus infection

Both experimental and epidemiologic studies have linked a low dietary intak e of selenium with an increased risk of cancer, The authors examined the as sociation between plasma selenium levels and risk of hepatocellular carcino ma (HCC) among chronic carriers of hepatitis B and/or C virus in a cohort o f 7,342 men in Taiwan who were recruited by personal interview and blood dr aw during 1988-1992. After these men were followed up for an average of 5.3 years, selenium levels in the stored plasma were measured by using hydride atomic absorption spectrometry for 69 incident HCC cases who were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and/or antibodies against hepatiti s C virus (mostly HBsAg positive) and 139 matched, healthy controls who wer e HBsAg positive. Mean selenium levels were significantly lower in the HCC cases than in the HBsAg-positive controls (p = 0.01). Adjusted odds ratios of HCC for subjects in increasing quintiles of plasma selenium were 1.00, 0 .52, 0.32, 0.19, and 0.62, respectively. The inverse association between pl asma selenium levels and HCC was most striking among cigarette smokers and among subjects with low plasma levels of retinol or various carotenoids. Th ere was no clear evidence for an interaction between selenium and a-tocophe rol in relation to HCC risk.