Lower Plasma Selenium Level in Primary Malignant Bone Tumors: A Survey Research

Objective: To compare plasma selenium levels in primary bone tumor patients with clinically healthy Thai subjects. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study on plasma selenium of primary bone tumor patients aged above 12 years old was obtained at Siriraj Hospital. The plasma samples were used for selenium assay by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption spectrometry method. The plasma selenium levels were compared with the clinically healthy Thai subjects or within primary bone tumor groups (age: below or above 30 years, gender: male or female, benign or malignant tumor, metastasis or non-metastasis). Results: One hundred and nine primary bone tumor patients were included in this study. Plasma selenium level in clinically healthy Thai subjects aged more than 30 years old was significantly higher than a primary bone tumor group (121.71 ± 19.96 g/L vs 111.88 ± 23.62 g/L, mean difference -9.83, p-value = 0.017). The plasma selenium levels within the primary bone tumor patients did not exhibit significant differences when compared across genders, age groups below and above 30 years old, benign and malignant tumors, or between metastatic and non-metastatic tumor cases. Conclusion: A patient with a history of malignant bone tumors tends to have a lower level of plasma selenium than normal people. However, the study of selenium supplementation for those who have a higher risk of developing malignant bone tumors is needed in the future.