Association of Selenium and Risk of Esophageal Cancer: A Review

Esophageal cancer (ec) is one of the most common types of cancer, especially in asia. esophageal squamous cell cancer (escc) is the most important histological subtype of ec, which accounts for 90% of all ec cases worldwide. escc is highly prevalent in turkey, iran, kazakhstan and northern and central parts of china. selenium is an essential micronutrient that is required for cellular functioning and synthesis of several selenoproteins. it also modulates the antioxidant defense system, cell cycle and apoptosis. this article reviews the most important molecular mechanisms of ec and investigates the association between selenium level and incidence of ec in high-risk areas.