DECATUR - Decatur men participating in a prostate cancer prevention trial learned this week of new developments in their efforts.

An announcement from the National Institutes of Health, based on a review of the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, or SELECT, revealed that the antioxidants selenium and vitamin E are not effective in preventing prostate cancer.

"This is the largest cancer prevention study ever done, and it involved more than 35,000 men in over 400 sites nationwide," said Dr. James Wade of Cancer Care Specialists of Central Illinois. "And we in Decatur and Springfield were one of those sites."

The trial began locally in 2001, he said.

"What we learned last week was that, even though the early evidence had suggested that taking either selenium or vitamin E would reduce the risk of them getting prostate cancer, there has been no impact," Wade said.

But the men's participation was not in vain, he added.

"Some people will say that this was a failure. I don't think so, because we now know going this one direction doesn't work."

Early analysis of the study also revealed unanticipated trends.

"Not only are they not helpful, but potentially there might be some harm," he said of the supplements.

The men taking only selenium were found to have a slightly elevated risk of developing diabetes, and the men taking only vitamin E were found to have a slightly elevated risk of prostate cancer. Wade said these results are not statistically significant.

"We greatly appreciate men's willingness to come forward and to try to help us figure out something that worked," Wade said.

The men in the study will have long-term follow-up care to see if there have been any other positive or negative health effects.

The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, done about 10 years ago, showed that taking a medication called finasteride, which blocks certain hormone pathways, can reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer by 25 percent, Wade said.

Local resident James Jackson, 77, has participated in both trials.

"I got to thinking if I can be any benefit to my grandchildren, I'm going to do this," he said.

Jackson participated in the finasteride trial for seven years and began SELECT in 2001, according to Terri Eller, a clinical research associate for DMH's research department. On Monday, the 76 remaining SELECT participants receiving treatment through the hospital were instructed to stop taking the supplements.

"They said that it wasn't doing what they exactly thought it would do," Jackson said. "I kind of hoped they'd come up with something."

He said he's not worried about the study's unexpected results, but he does worry about prostate cancer and makes sure to get screened at his yearly physicals.

"When you get 60 years old, you always worry about it," he said, adding that his brother was affected by the disease.

Wade stressed the importance of regular screenings and early detection for men older than 50 as the first line of defense in preventing prostate cancer deaths until research comes up with another solution.

"We're saddened that we couldn't have found an ounce of prevention that was going to work, but we're still going to keep looking," Wade said. "And we couldn't have done it without the part of all these guys."

agetsinger@herald-review.com|421-6968