Background and objective: Xuanwei is an area of the highest incidence and mortality with lung cancer in China. The aim of this study is to determine serum selenium concentrations in lung cancer patients from Xuanwei as well as selenium levels of cancerous tissues, cancer-adjacent pulmonary tissues, and normal pulmonary lung tissues from lung cancer patients, and the relationship between selenium and the high incidence of lung cancer in Xuanwei.
Methods: One hundred and twenty female adults from Xuanwei were enrolled in the study (60 lung cancer patients and 60 with non-tumor and non-respiratory diseases, respectively) and blood samples were collected. Sixty fresh cancerous tissues and their adjacent as well as normal tissues were collected (31 samples from lung cancer patients living in Xuanwei for more than 2 years and 29 from patients in other regions of Yunnan Province outside of Xuanwei, respectively). Serum and tissue selenium concentrations were assayed using a fluorometric method.
Results: Women with lung cancer had a mean serum selenium value (55.22 μg/L±13.34 μg/L) of averagely 8.47%, significantly lower than that in subjects with non-tumor and non-respiratory disease controls (60.33 μg/L±13.82 μg/L)(P < 0.05). Selenium concentrations in the tumor tissues (0.105 μg/g±0.034 μg/g) were statistically lower than that of normal ones (0.140 μg/g±0.048 μg/g)(P < 0.05) from lung cancer patients in Xuanwei. Statistical differences had not been found between the cases from Xuanwei and non-Xuanwei district, adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, among Stage I, Stage II, stage III groups.
Conclusions: Lower serum selenium state was negatively related to the incidence of lung cancer in Xuanwei. It was likely that lower selenium level of lung tissues was potential risk factor to lead to lung cancer.
背景与目的: 宣威是我国肺癌高发区，有研究发现肿瘤的死亡率与硒的地理分布及摄入量呈负相关，肺癌死亡率与血硒水平呈负相关。本研究通过检测宣威肺癌患者的血清硒含量和肺组织硒水平，以初步探讨宣威地区肺癌高发与硒的关系。
方法: 取120例宣威女性的血清，其中试验组为60例肺癌患者，对照组为60例非肿瘤非呼吸道疾病人群，测定其血清硒水平。术中取60例肺癌患者的肺癌组织、癌旁肺组织和正常肺组织，其中31例来自于宣威地区，29例来自于非宣威地区，分析癌组织、癌旁组织及正常组织的硒含量。血清和组织硒均采用荧光法进行测定。
结果: 宣威地区女性肺癌患者血清硒含量为（55.22±13.34）μg/L，低于对照组（60.33±13.82）μg/L（P < 0.05）。宣威地区肺癌组织硒含量为（0.105±0.034）μg/g，低于正常肺组织（0.140±0.048）μg/g（P < 0.05）。宣威地区和非宣威地区肺癌组织、癌旁肺组织和正常肺组织间硒水平无统计学差异。腺癌和鳞癌、不同分期的肺癌组织、癌旁肺组织和正常肺组织之间的硒水平均无统计学差异。
结论: 宣威地区肺癌的发生与低血硒状态有关，肺组织细胞低硒可能是导致癌变的潜在危险因素。