BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A U.S. study suggests selenium might offer an intervention strategy for the treatment of prostate cancer. Yan Hu of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute said selenium, an effective chemopreventive agent for prostate cancer, has been found to down-regulate interleukin-6, of IL-6 -- a cytokine that induces the progression of the spread of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells. Most prostate cancer patients respond initially to anti-androgen therapy, but virtually all patients relapse due to the growth of androgen-independent tumor cells promoted by the overexpression of IL-6. Hu posits down-regulation of the cytokine by selenium might present an interventional strategy in prostate cancer therapy. H...

While prostate-specific antigen measurement remains an important monitoring tool, it poorly distinguishes those who will develop lethal prostate cancer from those at low or no risk for progression. (CME)
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