Antioxidant status in pediatric acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and solid tumors: the impact of oxidative stress.

Background: Pediatric ALL patients are subjected to an aggressive and continuous chemotherapy protocol, while solid tumor patients have a less intensive treatment. We studied the antioxidant status of children from the two groups and hypothesized that the antioxidant status will differ in concert with their treatment.

Procedure: The antioxidant status in plasma of seven ALL children and that of six children treated for different solid tumors, in regard to the different treatment regimen, was compared with healthy controls.