Objectives: To correlate the extent of lipid peroxidation with the antioxidant status in the circulation of patients with fibroadenoma and adenocarcinoma of the breast.
Design and methods: Ten fibroadenoma and thirty breast cancer patients and an equal number of age- and sex- matched normal subjects were chosen for the study. Lipid peroxidation as evidenced by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and the status of the antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione S-transferase (GST) ascorbic acid and vitamin E were estimated.
Results: Enhanced lipid peroxidation with concomitant depletion of antioxidants was observed in breast cancer patients as compared to normal subjects and fibroadenoma patients (p < 0.05). A similar pattern of changes was seen in fibroadenoma patients as compared to corresponding normal subjects (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: This study has revealed an imbalance in the redox status in patients with fibroadenoma and adenocarcinoma of the breast.