Effect of Selenium and Vitamin E on Risk of Prostate Cancer and Other Cancers

Abstract

Prostate cancer mortality in the United States has declined in recent years, but this cancer remains the most common nonskin epithelial malignancy in US men, with 186 320 new cases and 28 660 deaths (the second leading cause of cancer death) estimated for 2008.¹ An effective prevention strategy for prostate cancer would have substantial public health benefits, including the potential to reduce the incidence of biologically indolent prostate cancer, which is significantly overdetected by widespread screening with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and for which most newly diagnosed men still undergo curative-intent therapy involving substantial morbidity despite surgical and other advances.^2-6