Association of serum reactive oxygen metabolite levels with different histopathological types of lung cancer

Background: Oxygen is required for respiration and the energetic processes that enable aerobic life. Costs associated with oxygen use are free radical and reactive oxygen metabolite ( ROM) formations, which create oxidative stress and contribute to various processes including aging, degenerative diseases and cancer. Additionally, they may have a role in the pathogenesis of lung cancer with different histopathological types. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate the degree of oxidative stress in different types of carcinoma such as small cell carcinoma and non-small cell carcinoma, including epidermoid carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, and to find out whether the degree of oxidative stress shows any difference among them and whether it can be used as an index for their differential diagnosis. Methods: Thirty-eight patients with lung cancer and 26 healthy persons were included in the study. Of the patients with lung cancer, 14 had epidermoid carcinoma, 12 adenocarcinoma and 12 small cell carcinoma. Serum ROM levels were detected by using an available commercial kit according to the manufacturer's instructions. Results: The ROM levels were significantly lower in the controls than in the patients ( p < 0.001). Although all subtypes had significantly high ROM levels compared with the controls, the highest significance was found in the small cell carcinoma ( p < 0.001), and then in the adenocarcinoma and epidermoid carcinoma ( p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively). Conclusions: In the light of these data, it might be possible to conclude that the serum ROM levels increase in patients with different types of lung cancers and may be an index parameter for lung cancer. It could be thought that this increase, particularly in small cell carcinoma, may contribute to its poor progression. Copyright (C) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.