Selenium, Lung Cancer Study Halted

The American Society of Clinical Oncology halted an ongoing study investigating a possible link between selenium and lung cancer due to lack a of evidence connecting the two. According to the study results, which were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2010 Annual Meeting, supplementing 200 mcg/d of selenium was as ineffective as placebo for reducing lung cancer recurrence or second primary malignancy.

Daniel Karp, M.D., from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, said, as reported by NutraIngredients.com: "Our results demonstrate that selenium is not an effective chemoprevention agent in an unselected group of lung cancer patients, and it's not something we can recommend to our patients to prevent a second cancer from developing or recurring."