Oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in patients with colorectal cancer – a preliminary research

Introduction. Oxidative stress is associated with an overproduction of free radicals or reduced antioxidant activity of the body. It may play an important role in neoplastic processes. The aim of the study. The aim of this article was to assess markers of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in patients with colorectal cancer as well as to verify whether there are differences/relationships between these markers and characteristics of the study group (i.e. sex, age, body mass index, comorbidities, primary tumour location). Additionally, an attempt was made to assess selected lifestyle aspects in these patients.Materials and methods. The study was conducted in a pilot group of 24 patients with colorectal cancer. The study involved several stages: an original questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, analysis of medical records and measurements of total oxidant (TOS) and antioxidant status (TAS), as well as serum malondial-dehyde (MDA) levels.Results. normal body weight was reported for 41.67% of patients. At least one cardiovascular disease was diagnosed in 70.83% of patients; type 2 diabetes was reported in 20.83% of patients. Mean serum malondialdehyde level was 2587.6 ng/mL. Mean total oxidant and antioxidant status was 858.7 μmol/L and 265.6 μmol/L, respectively.Conclusions. A relationship was found between serum malondialdehyde levels and body mass index (BMI), as well as statistically significant differences were observed between serum malondialdehyde levels in women vs men and patients with type 2 diabetes vs diabetes-free patients. It is necessary to use larger sample and analyse energy and nutritional value of diets used, including supplementation, stimulants and the type and frequency of physical exercise in order to identify the role of lifestyle in peroxidation and antioxidative processes.