Relationships between Oxidative Stress, Cancer Development and Therapeutic Interventions

Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between the generation and elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [1]. Low or moderate amounts of ROS have beneficial effects on several physiological processes including wound healing, killing of invading pathogens and tissue repair processes [2]. However, excessive production of ROS can lead to damage of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), lipids and proteins that in turn may result in oxidative tissue damage and cancer [3].