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Higher selenium level in Europeans associated with decreased risk for HCC

A higher selenium level before cancer onset was associated with a decreased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma in a European population, according to recent findings published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

“The recent findings tentatively suggest that where selenium is suboptimal, increasing selenium intake may be a further strategy for liver cancer prevention in addition to avoiding alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy body weight, and stopping smoking,” David J. Hughes, PhD, senior research fellow at the center for systems medicine in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, said in a press release. “However, this is based on a single study with a modest number of liver cancers, and thus our results need to be validated by further studies before any public health recommendations can be made.”

Selenium is a mineral micronutrient found in meat, eggs, grain and onions and is essential for controlling oxidative processes linked to cancer development, according to the press release. The selenium level found in food is dependent on the soil, in which many regions in Europe have lower levels of selenium compared with North America. Low selenium levels have been previously linked to the development of cancer; however, this risk has not been studied in European populations.

In a nested case-control design within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, Hughes and colleagues examined whether selenium status before cancer onset was associated with various hepatobiliary cancers. They did this by measuring blood concentrations of both selenium and selenoprotein P (SePP), which distributes selenium from the liver around the body. Afterward, they assessed the association of selenium level with HCC (n = 121), gallbladder and biliary tract cancers (GBTCs) (n = 100) and intrahepatic bile duct cancer (IHBC) (n = 40), while controlling for the major risk factors for cancer.

Compared with the control group, a higher selenium level was associated with a lower risk for HCC (OR per 20-µg/L increase = 0.41; 95% CI, 0.23-0.72), but not with a lower risk for GBTC or IHBC. In addition, a lower selenium and SePP level was found in cases of HCC and GBTC, but not in cases of IHBC.

These results suggest that in areas of low selenium status, selenium intake may be an important factor in the development of HCC and GBTC, the researchers wrote.

“The incidence of liver cancers is increasing in developed countries,” Mazda Jenab, PhD, scientist in the section of nutrition and metabolism at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France, said in the release. “Liver cancers are often diagnosed at late stages and have limited treatment options. Further research is needed into the modifiable determinants of these cancers and effective prevention strategies.” – by Will Offit

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.