SynthesisThe breast journal2026
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Association Between Circulating and Tissue Levels of Selenium and Zinc and Breast Cancer Risk.
Synthesis in The breast journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Association Between Circulating and Tissue Levels of Selenium and Zinc and Breast Cancer Risk.The breast journal · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSelenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) are essential micronutrients that play roles in antioxidant defense and the regulation of cell proliferation. Increasing evidence suggests that disturbances in trace element balance may contribute to breast carcinogenesis; however, findings across studies remain inconsistent.
objectiveTo evaluate the association between circulating and tissue Se and Zn levels and breast cancer.
methodsA systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted according to PRISMA 2020 and MOOSE recommendations. Searches were performed in MedLine, EMBASE, and LILACS from database inception until April 15, 2026. Case-control studies comparing selenium and zinc levels between women with breast cancer and control groups were eligible. Two independent reviewers performed study selection, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment, and publication bias analysis using Egger's regression test.
resultsThirty case-control studies were included. Most studies (83.3%) were classified as high methodological quality according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Meta-analyses revealed significantly lower selenium levels in plasma (MD = -12.10 μg/L; 95% CI: -17.54 to -6.65; p < 0.0001), selenium in nails (MD = -0.02 μg/g; 95% CI: -0.04 to -0.01; p = 0.006), and zinc in plasma (MD = -0.33; 95% CI: -0.47 to -0.19; p < 0.00001) in breast cancer patients compared with controls.
conclusionsThe pooled findings indicate an inverse association between breast cancer and selenium levels measured in plasma and nails, as well as plasma zinc concentrations. Nevertheless, interpretation should remain cautious because all included studies had observational designs, with marked heterogeneity and potential residual confounding. Lower circulating selenium and zinc levels, together with reduced selenium concentrations in nails, were associated with breast cancer occurrence. Additional prospective studies are required to clarify causality and determine the clinical significance of these associations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.