Prediagnostic Blood Selenium Status and Mortality among Patients with Colorectal Cancer in Western European Populations

• Authors: Jacqueline R Baker, Emory University; Sushma Umesh, Emory University; Mazda Jenab, International Agency for Research on Cancer; Lutz Schomburg, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin; Anne Tjønneland, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Diet, Genes and Environment, Strandboulevarden; Anja Olsen, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Diet, Genes and Environment, Strandboulevarden; Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault, Université Paris-Saclay; Jospeh A Rothwell, Université Paris-Saclay; Gianluca Severi, Universite Paris Saclay; Verene Katzke, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ); Theron Johnson, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ); Matthias B Schulze, German Inst Human Nutr Potsdam Rehbrucke; Giovanna Masala, Institute for Cancer Research, Prevention and Clinical Network-ISPRO; Claudia Agnoli, Fdn IRCCS Ist Nazl Tumori Milano; Vittorio Simeon, Università degli Studi della Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’; Rosario Tumino, Prov Hlth Author ASP 7; Bas H Bueno-de-Mesquita, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Netherlands; Inger Torhid Gram, The Arctic University of Norway; Guri Skeie, The Arctic University of Norway; Catalina Bonet, Unitat de Nutrició i Càncer; Miguel Rodriguez-Barranco, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs. Granada; José María Houerta, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP); Björn Gylling, Umea University; Bethany Van Guelpen, Umea University; Aurora Perez-Cornago, University of Oxford; Elom Aglago, International Agency for Research on Cancer; Heinz Freisling, International Agency for Research on Cancer; Elisabete Weiderpass, International Agency for Research on Cancer; Amanda J Cross, Imperial College London; Alicia K Heath, Imperial College London; David J Hughes, University College Dublin; Veronika Fedirko, Emory University
• Journal Title: BIOMEDICINES
• Volume: Volume 9, Number 11
• Publisher: MDPI | 2021-11-01
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9111521
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Nutrition
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Medicine, Research & Experimental; Pharmacology & Pharmacy; Research & Experimental Medicine; selenium; selenoprotein P; colorectal cancer; survival; cohort; DIETARY SELENIUM; SERUM SELENIUM; SURVIVAL; SELENOPROTEINS; SUPPLEMENTATION; ROLES; CELLS; RISK; METABOLISM; PREVENTION

Abstract

A higher selenium (Se) status has been shown to be associated with lower risk for colorectal cancer (CRC), but the importance of Se in survival after CRC diagnosis is not well studied. The associations of prediagnostic circulating Se status (as indicated by serum Se and selenoprotein P (SELENOP) measurements) with overall and CRC-specific mortality were estimated using multi-variable Cox proportional hazards regression among 995 CRC cases (515 deaths, 396 from CRC) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. Se and SELENOP serum concentrations were measured on average 46 months before CRC diagnosis. Median follow-up time was 113 months. Participants with Se concentrations in the highest quintile (≥100 µg/L) had a multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.73 (95% CI: 0.52–1.02; Ptrend = 0.06) for CRC-specific mortality and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.57–1.03; Ptrend = 0.04) for overall mortality, compared with the lowest quintile (≤67.5 µg/L). Similarly, participants with SELENOP concentrations in the highest (≥5.07 mg/L) compared with the lowest quintile (≤3.53 mg/L) had HRs of 0.89 (95% CI: 0.64–1.24; Ptrend = 0.39) for CRC-specific mortality and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.62–1.11; Ptrend = 0.17) for overall mortal-ity. Higher prediagnostic exposure to Se within an optimal concentration (100–150 µg/L) might be associated with improved survival among CRC patients, although our results were not statistically significant and additional studies are needed to confirm this potential association. Our findings may stimulate further research on selenium’s role in survival among CRC patients especially among those residing in geographic regions with suboptimal Se availability.