Aims. There are no data on the redox status of children with bone tumors in complete disease remission. Therefore, the presented study examined the reduced/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio, total oxidant capacity (TOC) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) values as well as the oxidative stress index (OSI) for assessing alterations in the oxidant/antioxidant balance in 35 children with osteosarcoma or Ewing’s sarcoma after anticancer therapy completion (median 14 months) compared with a control group. Methods. GSH, GSSG, TOC, TAC concentrations and bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) activity were evaluated by immunoenzymatic (ELISA) and enzymatic methods. Results. We found no differences in serum BALP activity between all survivors with bone tumors and the control group. Patients with osteosarcoma after anticancer therapy completion had significantly higher values of TAC, GSH and the GSH/GSSG ratio as well as GSSG than healthy subjects. In patients with Ewing’s sarcoma, we found significantly higher values of TOC concentration compared with healthy children. In addition, survivors with Ewing’s sarcoma had higher TOC concentrations and OSI index values (p < 0.01), but a lower GSH/GSSG ratio (p < 0.05) than survivors with osteosarcoma. A positive correlation between TOC and the post-therapy period was observed in survivors. Conclusions. We found that in survivors with bone tumors, a disturbed balance between prooxidants and antioxidants persists after the completion of anticancer treatment. Moreover, an increased TOC value together with the post-therapy period may suggest increasing oxidative processes in survivors with bone tumors after treatment. Further observations will allow assessment of the relationship between the oxidant/antioxidant status and the predisposition of survivors to bone neoplastic disease recurrence.
Keywords: Ewing’s sarcoma; glutathione; osteosarcoma; oxidative stress.