The correlation between reactive oxygen species and antioxidants

Oxidative stress represents as an important factor in carcinogenesis and may play a role in initiation and progression of tumors. Oxidative stress is responsible for DNA damage, and includes a multitude of lesions, many of which are mutagenic and have multiple roles in cancer and aging. The aim of the study is to demonstrate that an antioxidant treatment administration before surgery can influence the breast cancer patients' immune response. Whole blood samples from 113 patients with breast cancer, admitted in the Surgery Department III of the Oncology Institute of Bucharest were collected and the blood serum was isolated, and then made determinations of malondialdehyde, ceruloplasmin, albumin thiols, and total antioxidants. What was shown in this study is that ROS can increase cell proliferation and genomic instability, which stimulates disease progression, and the tumor is an oxidative stress inducer that can influence the redox balance. The key of an effective compensatory body response to this imbalance, cannot be done without exogenous antioxidant support. Keywords: ROS, breast cancer, oxidative stress mechanisms, antioxidants INTRODUCTION