Serum Selenium Levels and Cervical Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Several studies have investigated the relationship between serum Se concentration and cervical cancer, but the results were inconsistent. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between serum selenium levels and cervical cancer. Twelve studies investigating the association by univariate analysis and five studies by multivariate analysis were identified after a systematic search of PubMed, Wanfang, CNKI, and SinoMed databases. Standard mean differences (SMD) or odds ratios (OR) with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled to compare the selenium levels between different groups. In univariate analysis, serum selenium levels in cervical cancer cases were significantly lower than in controls (SMD = -4.86, 95% CI -6.03-3.69). Subgroup analysis showed consistent results. In multivariate analysis, serum selenium levels in cervical cancer cases were also significantly lower than in controls (OR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.73). After treatment, the serum selenium levels increased significantly (SMD = 2.59, 95% CI 0.50-4.69). In conclusion, high serum selenium levels were associated with cervical cancer, and selenium exposure might be a protective factor for cervical cancer.