Can selenium increase cure rates?

Could a mineral commonly found in such foods as Brazil nuts help improve treatments for colorectal cancer, lung cancer and other malignancies?

Your donor dollars have recently helped to fund pivotal studies looking at the unique anticancer properties of selenium, including how it may increase tumor sensitivity to radiation and a range of anticancer drugs.

Among the studies is research by Youcef Rustum, PhD, Senior Vice President for Science Administration, showing that non-toxic doses of selenium protect normal tissues fromthe toxic effects of chemotherapy and radiation while enhancing antitumor responses in cancerous tissue.

Rustum hopes to determine how much selenium to deliver, how often, and in what sequence in relation to chemotherapy and radiation to achieve the goal of greater drug delivery to the tumor but not to normal tissues.

"For cancer patients who receive chemotherapy or radiation," says Rustum, "the end results hold the promise of longer survival and fewer side effects from treatment."