title: Serum selenium in head and neck cancer patients--a new marker of tumor activity?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this work was to investigate the relationship between the tumor volume and the endogenous selenium levels in untreated head and neck cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred consecutive patients were included in this study. We measured the endogenous levels of selenium in the serum and the whole blood of all patients by atomic absorption spectrometry. Additionally, the activity of glutathione peroxidase and the concentration of malonedialdehyde were observed. The resectability of the tumor was used as an independent marker of the tumor volume.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-one out of 100 patients had resectable tumors, while 69 patients were characterized as unresectable. The following median results were obtained (resectable versus unresectable): Serum Se 0.90 micromol/l versus 0.78 micromol/l (p=0.024); whole blood Se 1.00 micromol/l versus 0.93 micromol/l (p=0.139); glutathione peroxidase 145 U/l versus 148 U/l (p=0.93); and malonedialdehyde 2.21 mmol/l versus 2.6 mmol/l (p=0.84).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The concentration of serum selenium shows a significant relationship with tumor resectability in patients with advanced head and neck cancer.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology, Head Neck Surgery, Südharzkrankenhaus Nordhausen, 99734 Nordhausen, Germany. jens.buentzel@shk-ndh.de
authors: Jens
authors: J
authors: Büntzel
authors: Oliver
authors: O
authors: Micke
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Glatzel
authors: Dietmar
authors: D
authors: Fröhlich
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Bruns
authors: Ralph
authors: R
authors: Mücke
authors: Klaus G
authors: KG
authors: Schönekaes
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D012643:Selenium