ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the alterations of Vitamin E (Vit E) levels in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and explore its mechanism of action. METHOD: A comparative analysis of the serum Vit E levels was conducted in patients with various pancreatic diseases. RESULTS: In patients with acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, serum Vit E levels were significantly lower than those in normal subjects (P<0.05), and among the 3 groups of patients with pancreatic diseases, patients with the malignancies had significantly lower Vit E levels than the other 2 groups of patients (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Significant reduction in Vit E levels occurs in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, indicating that oxidation and anti-oxidation imbalance might be involved in the pathogenesis of the malignancy in the pancreas.
