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| decreased risk of ovarian cancer and that selenium may have a protective role against the development of ovarian cancer. 53 |
| Skin cancer. Selenium has been found to have a protective effect against skin cancers, which are on the rise in the United States. Selenium appears to protect the skin from the damages of ultraviolet radiation by maintaining or enhancing the antioxidant enzyme systems, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase.54 In a study evaluating two hundred melanoma cases in Stages I, H, and HI and fifty-one epidemotrophic cutaneous T-cell lymphomas in Stages I through IV for the relationship to selenium levels, it was shown that there were decreased serum selenium concentrations in patients with melanoma and lymphoma relative to disease severity. The concentration was significantly lower in melanomas (at Stages I and H) that recurred within two years compared to those without recurrence. Before treatment, serum selenium levels were higher in the cutaneous T-cell lymphoma group, with good response to treatment compared with those without response. These results show the prognostic value of selenium assays in the follow-up of melanoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma patients.55 |
| Bowel cancer. Another study has shown that the low selenium serum levels in patients with large bowel cancer were significantly increased after selenium supplementation and actually demonstrated the promotion of cell-mediated immunity as shown by tumor and normal tissue samples taken before and after surgery. This study indicates a close relationship between low selenium levels and carcinogenesis of the colon and rectum.56 |
| Selenium and Chemotherapy |
| Selenium has a protective effect against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and bone marrow suppression. Twenty patients received selenium in the first cycle of cisplatin chemotherapy and were compared to twenty-one patients who did not take selenium. The patients were crossed over for the second chemotherapy cycle. The selenium was given for a period of time from four days before to four days after chemotherapy. Serum selenium doubled in those receiving selenium supplementation. On day fourteen after the initia- |
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