Abstract
Oxidative stress is considered to be involved in the pathophysiology of all cancers. The aim of this study is to examine oxidative stress and antioxidant status in patients with breast cancer by evaluation of the serum levels of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and lipid peroxidation products as malondialdehyde (MDA) and lipid hydroperoxide and to investigate the relationship between these parameters, oxidative stress and serum lipids and lipoproteins. In our study, serum TAC, MDA, lipid hydroperoxide, HDL‐cholesterol, VLDL‐cholesterol, LDL‐cholesterol, total cholesterol, triacylglycerol (TAG), albumin and uric acid levels of 56‐breast cancer patients in different clinical stages and 18 healthy women were determined. Significantly lower‐levels of TAC were detected in patients with breast cancer in comparison to controls (2.01 ± 0.01 mmol/l and 2.07 ± 0.03 mmol/l, respectively, p < 0.05). Serum MDA levels of the patients were higher compared to the controls (3.64 ± 0.25 µM and 2.72 ± 0.22 µM, respectively, p < 0.05). No significant difference between lipid hydroperoxide levels of patients and controls was found (0.33 ± 0.05 µM and 0.32 ± 0.01 µM, respectively, p > 0.05). These data show that lower TAC and higher MDA levels i.e. increased oxidative stress may be related to breast cancer. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.