title: [Alteration of Vitamin E levels in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the alterations of Vitamin E (Vit E) levels in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and explore its mechanism of action.
  
  
  METHODS
  A comparative analysis of the serum Vit E levels was conducted in patients with various pancreatic diseases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In patients with acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, serum Vit E levels were significantly lower than those in normal subjects (P<0.05), and among the 3 groups of patients with pancreatic diseases, patients with the malignancies had significantly lower Vit E levels than the other 2 groups of patients (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant reduction in Vit E levels occurs in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, indicating that oxidation and anti-oxidation imbalance might be involved in the pathogenesis of the malignancy in the pancreas.
authors.affiliation: Affiliated Hospital of Nantong Medical College, Nantong 226001, China.
authors.forename: De-Feng
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao-Ci
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Zheng-Qing
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Dai
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000097:blood; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E