Serum and tissue selenium levels in gastric cancer patients and correlation with CEA.
BACKGROUND
An inverse relationship between selenium (Se) intake and cancer mortality is evident in humans.


METHODS
In eighty patients who had been operated on for primary gastric cancer, serum Se and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were measured preoperatively using a fluorometric and immunoradiometric assay (IRMA), respectively.


RESULTS
The serum Se levels were 43+/-6.3 microg l(-1) in the patient group and 68.7+/-4.5 microg l(-1) in healthy individuals (p<0.001). The serum CEA was 12+/-1.9 U ml(-1) in the gastric cancer patients and 2.1 U ml(-1) in the control group (p<0.001). The Se tissue concentrations were 2,640+/-220 mg g(-1) in excised neoplastic tissue and 685+/-115 mg g(-1) in non-neoplastic tissue (p<0.001). An inverse correlation between Se and CEA serum levels was found (r=-0.782). There was no correlation between serum/tissue Se concentration and disease stage/histological type or gender in the patient group.
Charalabopoulos
Konstantinos
K
Department of Physiology, Medical Faculty, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece. kcharala@cc.uoi.gr
Kotsalos
Athanasios
A
Batistatou
Anna
A
Charalabopoulos
Alexander
A
Peschos
Dimitrios
D
Vezyraki
Patra
P
Kalfakakou
Vicky
V
Metsios
Apostolos
A
Charalampopoulos
Anestis
A
Macheras
Anastasios
A
Agnantis
Niki
N
Evangelou
Agelos
A
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005470:Fluorometry; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D015592:Immunoradiometric Assay; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012643:Selenium / Q000378:metabolism*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D012643:Selenium