Large Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial Opens

A new study of 32,400 men at more than 400 sites over 12 years will seek to determine if two dietary supplements, selenium and vitamin E, can protect against prostate cancer, the most common form of cancer, after skin cancer, in men. Called SELECT, the trial was launched by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) and a network of researchers known as the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG).

Selenium and vitamin E, both naturally occurring nutrients, are antioxidants. They are capable of neutralizing toxins known as free radicals that might otherwise damage the genetic material of cells and possibly lead to cancer. The nutrients were chosen for this study because of the favorable results of two other large cancer prevention trials. In a study of selenium to prevent nonmelanoma skin cancer, investigators found that while the supplement did not reduce skin cancer, it decreased the incidence of prostate cancer in men by more than 60%. Another trial, in which beta carotene and vitamin E were tested to prevent lung cancer, showed that men who took vitamin E had 32% less prostate cancer.

"SELECT is the critical next step for pursuing the promising leads we saw for prevention of prostate cancer,” said Leslie Ford, M.D., associate director for clinical research in NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention. "The only way to determine the real value of these supplements for prostate cancer is to do a large clinical trial focused specifically on this disease.”




Related Links:
Southwest Oncology Group
National Cancer Institute