Antioxidants in oncology – benefit or risk?

Isabel Behrendt, Michael Krawinkel, Gießen

The effect of chemo- and radiotherapy is based on an increased generation of free radicals resulting in an imbalance between anti- and prooxidants in favour of the prooxidant factors. Human studies have shown changes in antioxidant concentrations in the blood during tumor therapy.

This may promote the development of therapy-related side-effects such as oral or gastrointestinal mucositis. Human and animal studies have shown promising results as far as prevention and treatment of these inflammatory processes are concerned. Open questions of dosage, interactions among antioxidants or with cytostatics, or metabolization of antioxidants by tumor cells remain to be anwered, however, before supplementation of antioxidants is integrated in standard tumor therapies.

Keywords: antioxidants, chemotherapy, free radicals, mucositis, prooxidants, radiotherapy, tumor therapy.

Sie finden den Artikel in deutscher Sprache in Ernährungs Umschau 06/07 ab Seite 314.