Impact of oxidative and antioxidative potential on cancer risk: the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study.

[BACKGROUND] This study aimed to elucidate the impact of systemic shifts towards increased oxidative or antioxidative potential on cancer development and suppression. Given that longitudinal studies on cancer associations are limited for plasma levels of derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolite (d-ROM) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP), we investigated the associations of these robust biomarkers with risk of overall and multiple site-specific cancers.

[METHODS] We designed a case-cohort study within a large Japanese population-based prospective study. Plasma d-ROM and BAP were measured in 4718 cancer cases and 4815 randomly selected subcohort individuals, who were followed for a mean period of 15.5 years. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using a weighted Cox proportional hazards model.

[RESULTS] Compared to the lowest quartiles, the highest quartiles of d-ROM showed a multivariable adjusted HR of 1.69 (95% CI = 1.08-2.64; p = 0.02) for hepatocellular carcinoma and 1.32 (95% CI = 1.01-1.72; p = 0.01) for lung cancer. Conversely, the highest quartile of BAP for gastric cancer was 0.80 (95% CIs = 0.63-1.01; p = 0.03).

[CONCLUSIONS] These findings suggest a potential impact of oxidation and antioxidation on cancer development at specific sites.