Serum selenium levels in untreated children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. I

Serum selenium in the control group of 79 children aging 1 to 16 years was measured. A slight increase in serum selenium values with age occurred. The 89 patients of the test group were suffering from malignant proliferative diseases. The largest number of patients was suffering from acute lymphatic leukemia (78 patients), then Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (5 patients) and other malignant proliferative diseases (6 patients). Samples were taken before any therapeutic treatment at the time of diagnosis. Patients were of the same ages as the control group. Statistical analysis of the data shows that a significant difference exists in the selenium level of most of the patients as compared with the control group. They have a lower serum selenium. Only patients with Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma have same selenium content as the control group.