Profile of Tissue Selenium Concentration In A Cohort Of Nigerian Men With Prostate Cancer

Author(s): Igbokwe MC, Badmus TA, Salako AA, Obiajunwa EI, Olasehinde O, Igbokwe CA, David RA

Introduction: The global burden of prostate cancer (CaP) has led to increasing research into the aetiological factors and preventive measures for the disease. The role of Selenium (Se) has recently been the focus of several research efforts. Its influence on development of prostate cancer is however still controversial.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between tissue selenium levels and the occurrence of prostate cancer among men in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Methodology: This was a prospective hospital-based comparative study carried out in the Urology unit of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, Ile Ife, over a period of one year. Consecutive consenting men with histologically confirmed prostate cancer alongside age-matched controls were recruited for this study. These participants had whole blood and toe-nail samples collected for selenium assay using the Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique. The patients with prostate cancer had same samples collected 1 month after orchidectomy to reassess the selenium levels.

Data Analysis: The data was entered and analysed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistical Software for Windows, Version 20. Univariate analysis was utilized to determine the sociodemographic data of the subjects, using percentages and means (with standard deviation). The independent T-test was employed to determine if there was any significant difference in the whole blood and toe-nail selenium between the study and control groups while the paired T-test was used to compare the pre and post-orchidectomy tissue selenium concentrations using a significance level of 0.05 at 95% confidence interval.

Results: Fort