title: Parameters of antioxidant barrier in different histopathologic types of pediatric cancers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this study was to evaluate the activities of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and the levels of glutathione (GSH) and ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), as potential markers in different histopathologic types of pediatric neoplasms. No studies on this subject have been reported to date.
  
  
  METHODS
  SOD, GSH-Px, GSH, and IMA were measured before oncologic treatment in 129 children with neuroblastoma (NB), soft tissue sarcomas (STS), brain tumors, Hodgkin's disease (HD), and acute leukemias, and in 30 healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The statistical significance of SOD was observed in patients with brain tumors (median 1840.2 U/g Hb, p = 0.0500). The level of GSH was significantly higher in patients with NB (median 6.38 U/g Hb, p = 0.0031) and leukemias (5.16 U/g Hb, p = 0.0200). IMA was statistically significant in cases of STS, NB, and leukemias compared to healthy children (p = 0.0244, p = 0.0069, and p = 0.0000, respectively). The activity of GSH-Px was not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The antioxidant barrier in all types of pediatric cancers is disturbed. None of the measured parameters was specific enough to represent a reliable marker for any particular histopathologic type of children's neoplasm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Hematology, Oncology and Endocrinology, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stachowicz-Stencel
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Synakiewicz
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Owczarzak
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sliwinska
authors.forename: Wieslawa
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lysiak-Szydlowska
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balcerska
keywords: IMA; glutathione peroxidase and glutathione; histology; pediatric cancer; superoxide dismutase