THE AIM of the study was to assess the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), vitamin E and total antioxidant status (TAS) of serum and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in erythrocytes.
Material and methods: a total of 56 children, aged 1,5-18 years, treated between 2001-2002, were diagnosed as having malignant disease. Of these, 27 patients had leukemia, 20 had solid tumours and 9 -lymphoma. These patients were examined before treatment and on achieving remission during therapy.
Results: the imbalance between pro-oxidative and antioxidative processes were found in all the children with neoplastic disease. TAS was lower and GPX was higher than normal in all children with cancer; MDA was higher in the newly diagnosed children before treatment.
Conclusions: the role of vitamin E in the pathogenesis of childhood neoplastic disease need to be evaluated. Further studies on a larger group of patients are needed.