The degree of unsaturation of blood lipids in patients having undergon
e radical surgery for mammary cancer was studied. It was shown that th
e content of double bonds in the lipids of plasma and red cells in can
cer patients is significantly lower than in patients with diffuse canc
er but higher than in patients with benign breast tumors. It was also
established that there exists a relationship between the degree of lip
id unsaturation, the tumor spread (stage of the disease, metastases in
to the regional lymph nodes), and also patient survival. Variations in
the double-bond level of blood lipids depending on the morphological
structure of the tumor were established.