Participants Needed For Innovative Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial

FARMINGTON — Healthy men age 55 and older are needed for the largest-ever prostate cancer prevention study, launched July 24 by the national Cancer Institute and the University of Connecticut Health Center.

The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, or SELECT, seeks to learn if these two dietary supplements can protect against prostate cancer. Next to skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men.

“SELECT is the first study designed to look directly at the effects of vitamin E and selenium, both separately and together, in preventing prostate cancer,” said Peter Albertsen, MD, professor of surgery and chief of urology at the Health Center. “Previous research involving vitamin E and selenium suggested that these nutrients might prevent prostate cancer, but we don’t know for sure. When SELECT is finished we will know whether theses supplements can prevent prostate cancer.”

More than 400 sites in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada are recruiting participants for SELECT, which will take up to 12 years to complete. The study will include a total of 32,400 men.

During this year alone, prostate cancer will be diagnosed in about 198,100 Americans and more than 31,500 men are expected to die of the disease. In Connecticut 2,500 men will get prostate cancer and 400 men will die of it. Risk factors for the disease include being over age 55, being black, or having a father or brother with prostate cancer.

Men may be able to participate in SELECT if they are age 55 or older; age 50 or older for black men; have never had prostate cancer and have not had any other cancer, except nonmelanoma skin cancer, in the last five years; are generally in good health.

Men interested in joining the study can call University of Connecticut Health Center at 860-679-1636.