Selenium Levels in Early and Advanced Stages of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

This study aimed to explore selenium levels in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer and evaluate the role of this micronutrient in disease development.

This analytical observational study employed a cross-sectional design and was conducted at the Cipto Mangunkusumo National Referral Hospital from March to August 2024. The study included patients with suspected ovarian malignancy undergoing oophorectomy, including conservative surgical staging, unilateral surgical staging, or debulking surgery. The primary outcome was the correlation between serum selenium levels and the staging of ovarian cancer. ANOVA or the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to examine relationships between variables. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was also performed to determine the optimal cutoff value for serum selenium levels.

A total of sixty patients with ovarian cancer were studied, with 40% at stage I, 8.3% at stage II, 41.7% at stage III, and 10% at stage IV. Serum selenium levels varied significantly by tumor stage (p < 0.05), showing a negative correlation with tumor severity (Spearman's r = -0.27). Lower selenium levels were linked to higher cancer stages, with stage II exhibiting the highest levels and stage IV the lowest. ROC curve analysis demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.648 (95% CI 0.503-0.794; p < 0.05), with a sensitivity of 65.5% and specificity of 61.3% at a cutoff value of selenium > 91.50 μg/L. Although patients with selenium levels ≤91.50 μg/L showed a higher proportion of advanced-stage disease, the difference was not statistically significant (OR 2.59, 95% CI 0.91-7.34; p = 0.073).

Lower serum selenium levels were associated with more advanced stages of epithelial ovarian cancer, suggesting a potential relationship between selenium status and disease progression.