Evaluation of Oxidative Stress, Antioxidant Status and Serum Vitamin C Levels in Cancer Patients Reza Mahdavi & Elnaz Faramarzi & Ensiyeh Seyedrezazadeh & Mohammad Mohammad-zadeh & Masoud Pourmoghaddam Received: 3 December 2008 / Accepted: 17 December 2008 / Published online: 17 January 2009 # Humana Press Inc. 2009 Abstract Taking into account the importance role of lipid peroxidation and antioxidants in the prevention and incidence of cancer, the present study was carried out to determine oxidative stress, serum total antioxidant (TAS), and vitamin C levels in cancer patients. Malondialdehyde(MDA), total antioxidant status, and vitamin C levels of 57cancer patients aged 19–80 years and 22 healthy subjects (control group) aged 22–76 years were evaluated. Serum concentrations of MDA as thiobarbitaric acid complexes were measured by fluorometry method, the serum TAS by using commercial test kits from Randox Laboratories, and vitamin C by using spectrocolorimetric method. The mean serum MDA concentrations of all cancer groups except lung cancer were significantly higher than control group (P <0.004). The mean total antioxidant status was insignificantly higher than control group. The mean serum vitamin C level was significantly lower in patients as compared to the healthy subjects (PV<0.0001). In conclusion, an alteration in the lipid peroxidation with concomitant changes in antioxidant defense system in cancer patients may be due to excessive oxidative stress. Serum low levels of vitamin C in the different type of cancer patients in spite of adequate daily intake may be due to increased utilization to scavenge lipid peroxides as well as their sequestration by tumor cells. Biol Trace Elem Res (2009) 130:1–6 DOI 10.1007/s12011-008-8309-2 R. Mahdavi (*) : E. Faramarzi (*) Nutritional Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran e-mail: mahdavirez@hotmail.com E. Seyedrezazadeh School of Public Health and Nutrition, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran M. Mohammad-zadeh Department of Radiotherapy Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran M. Pourmoghaddam Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran E. Faramarzi Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health and Nutrition, Tabriz University Medical Sciences, Golgasht street, Tabriz 5166614711, Iran e-mail: elnazfaramarzi849@gmail.com