Plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in breast and lung cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of lipid peroxidation, in patients with breast and lung cancer. METHOD: Analysis of plasma MDA, and serum uric acid, albumin, cholesterol and triglycerides in 26 breast and 12 lung cancer patients and 41 healthy controls. The effects of age, body mass index (BMI), and menopausal status on plasma MDA were evaluated in the 26 patients with breast cancer. RESULTS: Plasma MDA levels in cancer patients were significantly higher than those in controls (P < 0.001). Average MDA levels were 6.33 micromol/L in breast cancer patients and 5.87 micromol/L in lung cancer patients. There was no correlation between MDA and triglyceride levels in either controls or cases. There was no correlation between MDA and cholesterol levels in patients with breast cancer, but there was a correlation in patients with lung cancer. Albumin levels did not differ significantly between controls and cases (P > 0.05), but uric acid levels in breast cancer patients were significantly higher than those of controls (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results of this study provide further evidence of the relationship between lipid peroxidation and cancer and should contribute to the interpretation of epidemiological studies in this area and the planning of future research.