title: A case--control study of selenium in nails and prostate cancer risk in British men.
abstract: In view of the experimental evidence suggesting that the micronutrient selenium reduces prostate cancer risk, we investigated the association between the selenium level in fingernails, a measure of long-term selenium intake, and prostate cancer risk in a case-control study among 656 British men, conducted in 1989-1992. Nail clippings were taken at the time of recruitment and selenium concentration, measured using neutron activation techniques, was successfully assayed for 300 case-control pairs and varied six-fold among the controls (0.59 p.p.m.; interquartile range, 0.50-0.71 p.p.m.). Nail selenium concentration was not significantly associated with prostate cancer risk: men in the highest quartile of nail selenium had a slightly increased risk compared with men in the lowest quartile (OR 1.24, 95 CI, 0.73-2.10); for advanced prostate cancer, men in the highest quartile had a slightly reduced risk compared with men in the lowest quartile (OR 0.78, 95% CI, 0.27-2.25). These results suggest that selenium is not strongly associated with prostate cancer risk in British men.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Gibson Building, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford OX2 6HE, UK. naomi.allen@cancer.org.uk
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ngwenyama
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Key
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009262:Nails / Q000737:chemistry*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012306:Risk; D012643:Selenium / Q000032:analysis*; D012907:Smoking; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E; D012643:Selenium