{"id":4128,"date":"2026-06-30T10:20:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T10:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seleniumfacts.com\/?p=4128"},"modified":"2026-09-01T10:36:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T10:36:34","slug":"selenium-and-drug-resistant-breast-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seleniumfacts.com\/index.php\/selenium-and-drug-resistant-breast-cancer","title":{"rendered":"Selenium and Drug-Resistant Breast Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5>What is still a major problem in breast cancer therapy?<\/h5>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3958\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3958\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3958 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/seleniumfacts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Health-300x180.png\" alt=\"Older and younger woman together\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seleniumfacts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Health-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/seleniumfacts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Health.png 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3958\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>In preclinical studies, selenium compounds show promising efficacy against drug-resistant breast cancer.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Over time, many breast tumors become resistant to chemotherapy. Thus, drug-resistant tumors limit the success of anti-cancer therapies. Numerous mechanisms decrease the intracellular accumulation of anti-cancer drugs. In this way, breast cancer tumors become less responsive to the chemotherapy [Baier 2026].<\/strong><\/p>\n<h5>Does supplementary selenium have anti-cancer properties?<\/h5>\n<p>Selenium is an essential trace element. Through the activity of selenoproteins, selenium is involved in the following potentially <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC13163965\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">anti-cancer activities<\/a> [Baier 2026]:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Antioxidant defense<\/li>\n<li>Immune modulation<\/li>\n<li>Redox regulation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Note: Cancer cells often rely on altered redox balance. Accordingly, selenium compounds may disrupt tumor survival mechanisms. At the same time, they can spare normal cells and tissues.<\/p>\n<h5>How do selenium compounds attack drug-resistant Breast cancer cells?<\/h5>\n<p>In a 2026 review, Baier et al make the point that multi-drug resistance in breast cancer often stems from several resistance pathways acting together. Thus, selenium-containing compounds may help overcome breast cancer patients\u2019 multi-drug resistance via overlapping multiple mechanisms:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Increased damage to cancer cells from reactive oxygen species<\/li>\n<li>Increased apoptosis and ferroptosis in cancer cells<\/li>\n<li>Damaged mitochondrial function in cancer cells<\/li>\n<li>Inhibited cell cycle in cancer cells<\/li>\n<li>Impaired pro-survival signaling pathways in cancer cells<\/li>\n<li>Increased sensitivity of resistant cells to chemotherapy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>What are important caveats to the use of selenium to overcome multi-drug resistance in breast cancer?<\/h5>\n<p>First of all, selenium supplementation is <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/41686323\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">not a stand-alone therapy<\/a> in breast cancer. Supplementary selenium has a possible adjunctive role in combination therapy:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>as a chemosensitizer<\/li>\n<li>in combination with existing drugs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Secondly, most supporting evidence for adjunctive use of selenium comes from cell culture studies and animal models. We need evidence from large clinical trials.<\/p>\n<h5>Which breast cancer therapies could selenium help?<\/h5>\n<p>Again, with the caveat that most evidence comes from preclinical studies, Baier et al [2026] suggest supplementary selenium may sensitize drug-resistant breast cancer cells to chemotherapy and could increase apoptosis in cancer cells.<\/p>\n<h6>Doxorubicin treatment<\/h6>\n<p>Possibly, the selenium could act as a chemosensitizer. It could increase cytotoxicity against tumor cells. Moreover, it could reduce collateral toxicity in normal cells.<\/p>\n<h6>Paclitaxel treatment<\/h6>\n<p>Selenium compounds may interfere with drug-resistance mechanisms. They may re-sensitize cancer cells to paclitaxel treatment.<\/p>\n<h6>Tamoxifen treatment<\/h6>\n<p>Here, selenium could potentiate anti-estrogen activity. Supplementation could help overcome tamoxifen resistance in hormone-responsive breast cancer cells.<\/p>\n<h6>Trastuzumab treatment<\/h6>\n<p>For trastuzumab-resistant cancer cells, selenium compounds may increase cytotoxicity in the drug-resistant cells.<\/p>\n<h5>Conclusion: Selenium-based strategies target drug-resistant breast cancer<\/h5>\n<p>Potential benefits include lower chemotherapy doses, lower systemic toxicity,<br \/>\nand increased sensitivity of drug-resistant tumors to chemotherapy.<\/p>\n<p>However, the available evidence is from preclinical studies.<\/p>\n<p>Selenium-based adjunctive therapies are not yet a part of standard breast cancer treatment.<\/p>\n<h5>Sources<\/h5>\n<p>Hubert Baier et al. Selenium-Based Strategies for Targeting Multidrug-Resistant Breast Cancer: A Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2026;27(1):3848.<\/p>\n<p>The information presented in this review article is not medical advice. Readers should not use it as medical advice.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is still a major problem in breast cancer therapy? Over time, many breast tumors become resistant to chemotherapy. Thus, drug-resistant tumors limit the success of anti-cancer therapies. Numerous mechanisms decrease the intracellular accumulation of anti-cancer drugs. In this way, breast cancer tumors become less responsive to the chemotherapy [Baier 2026]. Does supplementary selenium have &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/seleniumfacts.com\/index.php\/selenium-and-drug-resistant-breast-cancer\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Selenium and Drug-Resistant Breast Cancer&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[38,35],"class_list":["post-4128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-breast-cancer","tag-breast-cancer","tag-selenium"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Breast cancer patients potentially helped by selenium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Breast cancer patients may find selenium supplementation helpful according to preclinical 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