Parameters of antioxidant barrier in different histopathologic types of pediatric cancers

Aim of the study: The goal of this study was to evaluate the activities of ery throcyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and the levels of glutathione (GSH) and is chemia-modified albumin (IMA), as po tential markers in different histopatho logic types of pediatric neoplasms. No studies on this subject have been re ported to date. Material and methods: SOD, GSH-Px, GSH, and IMA were measured before on cologic treatment in 129 children with neuroblastoma (NB), soft tissue sarco mas (STS), brain tumors, Hodgkin’s dis ease (HD), and acute leukemias, and in 30 healthy controls. Results: The statistical significance of SOD was observed in patients with brain tumors (median 1840.2 U/g Hb, p= 0.0500). The level of GSH was significantly higher in pa tients with NB (median 6.38 U/g Hb, p= 0.0031) and leukemias (5.16 U/g Hb, p = 0.0200). IMA was statistically sig nificant in cases of STS, NB, and leukemias compared to healthy children ( p = 0.0244, p = 0.0069, and p = = 0.0000, respectively). The activity of GSH-Px was not statistically significant. Conclusions: The antioxidant barrier in all types of pediatric cancers is disturbed. None of the measured parameters was specific enough to represent a reliable marker for any particular histopathologic type of children’s neoplasm.