The prevalence of low selenium levels in newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients
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Published on: November 21, 2018
Sergey Postovsky1, Myriam Weyl Ben Arush, Eric Diamond
1Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, Rambam Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. psergey@netvision.net.il
Insights
Pediatric cancer patients often have low selenium (Se) levels, particularly those with widespread disease (WSD). Selenium deficiency is common in newly diagnosed pediatric malignancies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Nutritional Biochemistry
Background:
- Low selenium (Se) levels are linked to increased cancer risk in adults.
- Limited data exists on Se status in pediatric cancer patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate selenium levels in newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients.
- To compare Se levels between localized disease (LD) and widespread disease (WSD) groups.
Main Methods:
- Serum samples were analyzed from 42 pediatric cancer patients before treatment.
- Patients were categorized into LD (n=20) and WSD (n=22) groups.
- Albumin levels were assessed to evaluate nutritional status.
Main Results:
- Half of the pediatric patients exhibited low Se serum levels.
- Low Se levels were more prevalent and lower in the WSD group compared to the LD group.
- No significant difference in low albumin levels was observed between low Se and normal Se groups; most patients were not malnourished.
Conclusions:
- Selenium deficiency is a common finding in newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients.
- Lower Se levels are associated with widespread disease in pediatric cancer.
- Low Se levels are more prevalent in pediatric patients with widespread disease.
Abstract:
Low selenium (Se) levels have been found in assoiciation with high incidences of various types of adult cancer. Much less is known about this issue among pediatric cancer patients. Forty-two pediatric patients with a variety of newly diagnosed malignancies were divided into two groups, 20 with localized disease (LD) and 22 with widespread disease (WSD). Analysis of serum collected before the commencement of treatment showed that half the patients had low Se serum levels, lower and more common in WSD than in LD. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of low albumin levels among patients with low Se levels, and most of the newly diagnosed children did not suffer from malnutrition. It was concluded that Se deficiency is common among newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients, Se levels are lower in WSD than LD, and low Se levels are more prevalent in WSD patients than in LD patients.
