Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defense Capacity in Patients with Metastatic and Non-Metastatic Cutaneous Melanoma

The role of oxidative stress (OS) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in cutaneous melanoma (M) is unclear. We examined 120 healthy controls and 120 M patients, 53 metastatic (MetM) and 67 non-metastatic M (NMetM). Blood OS, and TAC were measured by FORT and FORD rapid tests, respectively. Elevated OS did not differ between M patients and controls, but it was more frequent in MetM patients, with an odds ratio (OR) = 2.51. Low TAC values were more frequent in M patients, MetM, and NMetM than controls; OR = 6.67, OR = 12.4, and OR = 4.53, respectively. High OS combined with low TAC was more frequent in M patients (OR = 3.74) and MetM (OR = 8.48) than controls. Among M patients, elevated OS (n = 46) was more frequent in females (OR = 7.66), Stage IV (OR = 6.68), M1c (OR = 4.87) and ulceration (OR = 2.52), and less frequent in NMetM (OR = 0.28), M0 (OR = 0.15), superficial spreading (OR = 0.46), Breslow thickness < 0.75 mm (OR = 0.33), and epithelioid variant (OR = 0.32). Among M patients, low TAC (n = 87) was more frequent in Stage IV (OR = 20.3), M1c (OR = 1.24), and lower limb (OR = 5.90), and less frequent in NMetM (OR = 0.37). Compared with other M patients, Stage IV patients more frequently had high OS (OR = 6.68), low TAC (OR = 20.3), high OS and low TAC (OR = 7.71), and <5-year mortality (OR = 29.3). This is the largest study investigating systemic OS and TAC in M patients and provides a rationale for further validation of these markers in larger cohorts and different ethnic groups, which might furnish indications for future personalized OS and TAC screening and/or prevention advice.