No change in incidence for men treated with selenium or vitamin E alone or in combination
FRIDAY, May 25 (HealthDay News) -- Neither selenium nor vitamin E alone or used in combination appears to prevent bladder cancer in men, according to a study published in the June issue of The Journal of Urology.
In an effort to determine whether selenium or vitamin E had any preventive effect on the incidence of bladder cancer, Yair Lotan, M.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues conducted a secondary analysis using data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, which included 34,887 men administered either selenium, vitamin E, both, or placebo in a double-blind fashion.
During a median follow-up of 7.1 years, 224 cases of bladder cancer were observed, primarily urothelial and nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer. Compared with those without bladder cancer, men with bladder cancer were older, more likely to be white, and more likely to have a history of smoking. There was no significant difference in bladder cancer incidence for men in the vitamin E (hazard ratio [HR], 1.05; P = 0.79), selenium (HR, 1.13; P = 0.52), or vitamin E plus selenium groups (HR, 1.05; P = 0.86), compared with placebo.
"This secondary analysis showed no preventive effect of selenium or vitamin E alone or combined on bladder cancer in this population of men," the authors write. "Further studies are needed to assess the effect in women, and at different doses and formulations."
One author disclosed financial ties to Alere and Adolor.
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