Ischemia-Modified Albumin and Thiol-Disulfide Homeostasis in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

ABS TRACT Objective: This study aimed to assess two oxidative stress (OxS) markers, thiol-disulfide (TD) homeostasis and ischemia-mod- ified albumin (IMA), in newly diagnosed metastatic pancreatic cancer (PC) patients. Material and Methods: This was a prospective case-control study including two groups: 30 cases each of histopathologically confirmed metastatic PC patients and healthy controls. Serum TD and IMA levels were measured and compared in both groups. Moreover, the association between TD and IMA levels, as well as overall survival (OS) in the patient group, were investigated. Results: Both native thiol (NT) and total thiol (TT) levels significantly decreased in the patient group than in the control group (p=0.016 and p=0.009, respectively). However, disulfide (D) and IMA levels were similar between the two groups (p=0.056 and p=0.068, respectively). Both the D/NT and D/TT ratios were significantly higher in the patient group (p=0.005 and p=0.004, respectively) than in the control group. Additionally, no association was observed between IMA, TD homeostasis, and OS. Conclusion: Our results showed that increased OxS levels affected PC progression. With the development of newer targeted therapeutics for OxS, the progression of PC in individuals with higher genetic risk may be prevented.