title: Supplementation with selenium, vitamin E and their combination in gynaecological cancer during cytotoxic chemotherapy.
abstract: The biochemical responses to 8-week supplementary treatment with selenium and/or vitamin E were evaluated in 41 patients with gynaecological cancer during cytotoxic chemotherapy, in Finland, a selenium-deficient country. After the control course of 1-day treatment with cytostat agents, 11 patients received a combination of selenium and vitamin E (sodium selenate, 200 micrograms/day + vitamin E, 300 mg/day), 11 received selenium (sodium selenate, 200 micrograms/day) and seven received vitamin E (300 mg/day) as supplementary therapy, while 12 patients had no supplementary drugs. Sodium selenate alone and combined with vitamin E significantly increased the serum selenium levels, but the activity of serum glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) increased significantly only in the selenium- and vitamin E-treated patients with low initial GSH-Px activity. The cytotoxic chemotherapy did not change the activity of GSH-Px, while the concentrations of lipid peroxides decreased. Sodium selenate alone or with vitamin E did not modify this decrease. Sodium selenate alone significantly decreased the capacity of the platelets to produce thromboxane A2; it increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and prevented the cytotoxic-chemotherapy-associated increase of creatine kinase. Selenium supplementation might thus be beneficial during cytotoxic chemotherapy in ovarian cancer patients with low selenium levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sundström
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Korpela
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sajanti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kauppila
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008054:Lipid Peroxides / Q000097:blood; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012643:Selenium / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013929:Thromboxane B2 / Q000097:blood; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008054:Lipid Peroxides; D014810:Vitamin E; D013929:Thromboxane B2; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D012643:Selenium