title: Effect of selenium on the immunocompetence of patients with head and neck cancer and on adoptive immunotherapy of early and established lesions.
abstract: Supplementation with 200 microg/day of sodium selenite during therapy for squamous cell carcinoma (SQCC) of the head and neck, e.g., surgery, radiation, or surgery and radiation, resulted in a significantly enhanced cell-mediated immune responsiveness. The enhanced responsiveness was evident during therapy and following conclusion of therapy. In contrast, patients in the placebo arm of the study showed a decline in immune responsiveness during therapy. The results from studies on mice inoculated with SQCC cells expressing the receptor for interleukin-2 (IL-2) and supplemented with Se (2.00 ppm) indicated that Se significantly retards the clinical appearance of tumors; peritumoral injections of 2,000 IU of IL-2 resulted in 50% reduction in the size of established tumors and 72% of early tumors. The combined data suggested that local immunotherapy with IL-2 in hosts supplemented with Se may represent an effective modality of treatment for the prevention of recurrences at the site of conventionally treated primary tumors.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Sciences, Medicine, and Surgery, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA. lk2@nyu.edu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kiremidjian-Schumacher
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence / Q000187:drug effects*; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051379:Mice; D012643:Selenium / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018038:Sodium Selenite / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D012643:Selenium; D018038:Sodium Selenite