Background/objective: There are pieces of evidence suggesting that oxidative stress and immune responses play significant roles in the etiopathogenesis of some malignant diseases. Also increased oxidative stress in patients with certain cancer may result from changes in the levels of certain trace elements. Therefore antioxidants either in the form of trace metals or enzymes are important tools in the study of these conditions. This study aimed at measuring the level of oxidative stress in the head and neck cancer patients by using plasma total antioxidant potential and the plasma level of some antioxidant trace metals.
Materials and methods: Twenty cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma recruited from the Oral and Maxillofacial surgery and Radiotherapy clinics of the University College Hospital, Ibadan were included in the study. While total antioxidant status was measured by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay of Benzie and Strain (1996), the plasma trace metals were assayed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.
Result: The total antioxidant potential was significantly reduced in the study group when compared with controls. Zinc, iron, and selenium were also found to be significantly lower in the study group compared with controls.
Conclusion: The result suggests a state of oxidative stress in the head and neck cancer patients with likely impact on disease process and treatment outcome.