Plasma selenium concentration in patients with stomach and colon cancer in the Upper Silesia.

Plasma selenium concentration was assessed in 44 patients with cancer of the gastrointestinal tract (19 subjects with stomach cancer and 25 with colon cancer) and 25 age-matched healthy control subjects. Selenium concentration was determined by the fluorometric method. The observed plasma selenium concentrations in gastrointestinal cancer patients (37.0 +/- 11.05 ng Se/ml or 38.4 +/- 12.6 ng Se/ml in stomach or colon cancer patients, respectively) were significantly lower as compared to the healthy age-matched control group (51.4 +/- 14.4 ng Se/ml). The diagnosed low selenium status may be considered as a high risk for cancer development.

Quality of life in cancer patients treated by chemotherapy.

Many studies connected with different aspects of the quality of life (QL) have been increasingly reported. In this study we have been used FACT questionnaire to estimate QL in three groups of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Questionnaires were completed by 177 patients. Adverse effects of treatment severely influence the cancer patients QL. The most significant worsening of QL was noticed in the group of lung cancer patients receiving the most emetogenic chemotherapy(i.e. cis-platinum, vepesid). In other two groups (gastric and colorectal cancer patients) side effects of chemotherapy caused relatively less QL deterioration. This finding implicates possibility of intensifying the course of treatment (dosage and duration) assuming there is no hematopoetic insufficiency.