Influence of NSCLC on secondary oxygen species production in animal or patient sera

Abstract

Cancers induce oxidative stress at any step of their development from induction to progression as well as treatments themselves. The individual has to adapt permanently to oxidative stress changes by the mean of modifying energy production something that in turn modifies oxidative stress. To help maintaining homeostasis it had been proposed to supplement cancer patients by exogenously given antioxidants. However we demonstrated that both oxidative stress and anti-oxidative response vary non linearly during cancer growth, the resulting antioxidant status differing also from one patient to the other. This suggests that oxidative stress and drugs aimed at restoring oxidative homeostasis should be monitored all along the patient care. We describe a new technology using singlet oxygen as a source of oxidants that demonstrates both experimentally and in patients the above statements during the course of NSCLC growth. We analyze and propose hypotheses linking experimental and clinical results obtained.