The role of selenium and its mechanism of action in neoplastic disease 

Introduction: Selenium is a great natural element with many nutritional and antioxidant properties. Many studies have shown the existence of preventive and therapeutic effect of selenium in the occurrence of neoplastic disease.

Aim: The investigation of the role of selenium and the determination of the mechanism by which it acts in patients suffering from various types of neoplastic disease through a systematic review of the international literature.

Material & Methods: The bibliography was searched in the PubMed online database where the following keywords were used: «selenium», «cancer» and «neoplastic disease». The selection criteria set were the following: a) studies in humans b) studies involving clinical trials c) studies available in full text and d) studies over the last 10 years.

Results: Ninetytwo (92) studies were found in the international literature search, of which sixteen (16) were included in this systematic review. More specifically, it was found that taking selenium supplements helped reduce relapses, improve antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress, regress, reduce side effects from both chemotherapy and radia tion, as well as reduce the risk of developing some types of neoplastic disease.

Conclusions: The above studies have shown a beneficial effect of selenium in some types of neoplasms, but further studies are considered necessary to adequately document its action.