Submit to Nutrients Review for Nutrients Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Dietary Trace Elements in Cancer Prevention and Treatment

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Micronutrients and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (8 February 2021) | Viewed by 19946

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jan Lubiński

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

International Hereditary Cancer Center, Department of Genetics and Pathology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, ul. Unii Lubelskiej 1, 71-252 Szczecin, Poland
Interests: cancer risk; cancer progression; microelements; vitamins; aminoacids; fatty acids; proteins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Diet has an enormous impact on human health, and many epidemiological studies have suggested that specific dietary components and nutrients are associated with cancer. Nevertheless, there is still not enough research done, in our view, on the relationship between cancer risk and treatment and exposure to trace elements that embrace metals and metalloids, of which the most important source of intake is diet.

Trace elements are present only in tiny amounts in organisms, and some of them are essential for important metabolic processes occurring in living bodies. Therefore, variation in their concentration may imbalance homeostasis in cells and lead to many health problems, including cancer.

The major goal of this Special Issue of Nutrients is to prepare a well-organized platform with the up-to-date knowledge of the effect of various concentrations of specific dietary trace elements on cancer risk and treatment that would help to prepare some evidence-based dietary recommendations.

We encourage authors to submit their research in the “Dietary Trace Elements in Cancer Prevention and Treatment” Special Issue. Different types of manuscript submissions, including original research papers and up-to-date reviews, are welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Jan Lubiński
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

trace elements
diet
nutrition
cancer prevention
cancer treatment
cancer biomarker

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

10 pages, 968 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Serum Selenium Level Predicts 10-Year Survival after Breast Cancer

by Marek Szwiec, Wojciech Marciniak, Róża Derkacz, Tomasz Huzarski, Jacek Gronwald, Cezary Cybulski, Tadeusz Dębniak, Anna Jakubowska, Marcin Lener, Michał Falco, Józef Kładny, Piotr Baszuk, Jerzy Duszyński, Joanne Kotsopoulos, Steven A. Narod and Jan Lubiński

Nutrients 2021, 13(3), 953; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030953 - 16 Mar 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3512

Abstract

In a recent prospective study, we reported an association between a low serum selenium level and five-year survival among breast cancer patients. We now have updated the cohort to include 10-year survival rates. A blood sample was obtained from 538 women diagnosed with first primary invasive breast cancer between 2008 and 2015 in the region of Szczecin, Poland. Blood was collected before initiation of treatment. Serum selenium levels were quantified by mass spectroscopy. Each patient was assigned to one of four quartiles based on the distribution of serum selenium levels in the whole cohort. Patients were followed from diagnosis until death or last known alive (mean follow-up 7.9 years). The 10-year actuarial cumulative survival was 65.1% for women in the lowest quartile of serum selenium, compared to 86.7% for women in the highest quartile (p < 0.001 for difference). Further studies are needed to confirm the protective effect of selenium on breast cancer survival. If confirmed this may lead to an investigation of selenium supplementation on survival of breast cancer patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Trace Elements in Cancer Prevention and Treatment)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 4076 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Multi-Mineral Intervention to Modulate Colonic Mucosal Protein Profile: Results from a 90-Day Trial in Human Subjects

by Muhammad N. Aslam, Shannon D. McClintock, Mohamed Ali H. Jawad-Makki, Karsten Knuver, Haris M. Ahmad, Venkatesha Basrur, Ingrid L. Bergin, Suzanna M. Zick, Ananda Sen, D. Kim Turgeon and James Varani

Nutrients 2021, 13(3), 939; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030939 - 14 Mar 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4826

Abstract

The overall goal of this study was to determine whether Aquamin^®, a calcium-, magnesium-, trace element-rich, red algae-derived natural product, would alter the expression of proteins involved in growth-regulation and differentiation in colon. Thirty healthy human subjects (at risk for colorectal cancer) were enrolled in a three-arm, 90-day interventional trial. Aquamin^® was compared to calcium alone and placebo. Before and after the interventional period, colonic biopsies were obtained. Biopsies were evaluated by immunohistology for expression of Ki67 (proliferation marker) and for CK20 and p21 (differentiation markers). Tandem mass tag-mass spectrometry-based detection was used to assess levels of multiple proteins. As compared to placebo or calcium, Aquamin^® reduced the level of Ki67 expression and slightly increased CK20 expression. Increased p21 expression was observed with both calcium and Aquamin^®. In proteomic screen, Aquamin^® treatment resulted in many more proteins being upregulated (including pro-apoptotic, cytokeratins, cell–cell adhesion molecules, and components of the basement membrane) or downregulated (proliferation and nucleic acid metabolism) than placebo. Calcium alone also altered the expression of many of the same proteins but not to the same extent as Aquamin^®. We conclude that daily Aquamin^® ingestion alters protein expression profile in the colon that could be beneficial to colonic health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Trace Elements in Cancer Prevention and Treatment)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

18 pages, 978 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hybrid Dietary-Blood Inflammatory Profiles and Postmenopausal Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study

by Beata Stasiewicz, Lidia Wadolowska, Maciej Biernacki, Malgorzata Anna Slowinska and Marek Drozdowski

Nutrients 2020, 12(11), 3503; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113503 - 14 Nov 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2170

Abstract

The carcinogenesis process is associated with inflammation, which can be modified by diet. There is limited evidence regarding the inflammatory status and diet in association with breast cancer (BC). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of hybrid dietary-blood inflammatory profiles (HD-BIPs) with postmenopausal breast cancer occurrence. The case-control study was conducted among 420 women (230 controls, 190 primary BC cases) aged 40–79 years from north-eastern Poland. Blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and leukocyte count were marked in 129 postmenopausal women (82 controls, 47 cases). The 62-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ-6) was used to the dietary data collection. Two HD-BIPs were found using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The “Pro-healthy/Neutral-inflammatory” profile was characterized by the frequent consumption of wholemeal cereals/coarse groats, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds and fish. The “Unhealthy/Pro-inflammatory” profile was characterized by the frequent consumption of red/processed meats, animal fats, sugar/honey/sweets, refined cereals/fine groats, and an increased concentration of CRP, IL-6 and granulocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio. The lower odds ratio (OR) of breast cancer was associated with the higher adherence to the “Pro-healthy/Neutral-inflammatory” profile (OR = 0.38; 95% Cl: 0.18–0.80; p < 0.01 for the higher level vs. lower level, crude model; OR for one-point score increment: 0.61; 95% Cl: 0.42–0.87; p < 0.01, adjusted model). The higher OR of breast cancer was associated with the higher adherence to the “Unhealthy/Pro-inflammatory” profile (OR = 3.07; 95%Cl: 1.27–7.44; p < 0.05 for the higher level v.s. lower level, adjusted model; OR for one-point score increment: 1.18; 95%Cl: 1.02–1.36; p < 0.05, adjusted model). This study revealed that the consumption of highly processed, high in sugar and animal fat foods should be avoided because this unhealthy diet was positively associated with postmenopausal breast cancer occurrence through its pro-inflammatory potential. Instead, the frequent consumption of low-processed plant foods and fish should be recommended since this pro-healthy diet was inversely associated with the cancer occurrence even though its anti-inflammatory potential has not been confirmed in this study sample. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Trace Elements in Cancer Prevention and Treatment)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

18 pages, 315 KiB

Open AccessReview

Micronutrients and Breast Cancer Progression: A Systematic Review

by Olga Cuenca-Micó and Carmen Aceves

Nutrients 2020, 12(12), 3613; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12123613 - 25 Nov 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4803

Abstract

Epidemiological studies on micronutrient consumption have reported protective associations in the incidence and/or progression of various cancer types. Supplementation with some of these micronutrients has been analyzed, showing chemoprotection, low toxicity, antiproliferation, and the ability to modify epigenetic signatures in various cancer models. This review investigates the reported effects of micronutrient intake or supplementation in breast cancer progression. A PubMed search was conducted with the keywords “micronutrients breast cancer progression”, and the results were analyzed. The selected micronutrients were vitamins (C, D, and E), folic acid, metals (Cu, Fe, Se, and Zn), fatty acids, polyphenols, and iodine. The majority of in vitro models showed antiproliferative, cell-cycle arrest, and antimetastatic effects for almost all the micronutrients analyzed, but these effects do not reflect animal or human studies. Only one clinical trial with vitamin D and one pilot study with molecular iodine showed favorable overall survival and disease-free interval. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Trace Elements in Cancer Prevention and Treatment)

17 pages, 453 KiB

Open AccessReview

Arsenic Exposure and Breast Cancer Risk: A Re-Evaluation of the Literature

by Katherine Pullella and Joanne Kotsopoulos

Nutrients 2020, 12(11), 3305; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113305 - 28 Oct 2020

Cited by 43 | Viewed by 3863

Abstract

Arsenic is a widespread environmental contaminant and recognized carcinogen for the skin, bladder and lungs. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of studies that have investigated the effects of arsenic exposure and cancer risk at other sites, including the breast. However, to date, the association between arsenic exposure and breast cancer risk remains unclear. This article will provide an overview of arsenic metabolism, the clinically important biomarkers commonly used to assess arsenic exposure, and review the epidemiologic studies examining the role of arsenic exposure on breast cancer risk. Given the large burden of disease associated with breast cancer, it is of the upmost importance to identify risk factors and preventative strategies that could reduce cancer incidence. Limiting exposure to endemic environmental toxins, such as arsenic, represents one such strategy. More studies are required to better ascertain this relationship and to develop the public policy necessary to significantly reduce breast cancer incidence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Trace Elements in Cancer Prevention and Treatment)

► Show Figures