Laryngeal cancer and blood selenium levels.

Blood selenium concentrations in 43 patients with laryngeal cancer and 47 normal subjects were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. No significant differences in selenium values were observed in sera from the cancer patients when compared with controls, but there were significant differences between patients with advanced (T4) supraglottic cancers and the normal controls. These results suggest that lower blood selenium levels in this latter group of laryngeal cancer patients may be a consequence of their disease rather than its cause.