What is oral glutamine and how may it help?
Glutamine is a naturally occurring amino acid that is essential to growth and replication of gastrointestinal cells. During chemoradiation, these cells are especially susceptible to the effects of therapy, leading to mucositis and diarrhea. These complications delay treatment, reduces dosing, and affects quality of life.
Given that oral glutamine is a safe, simple, and relatively low-cost supplement that may reduce severe chemotherapy- and radiation-induced toxicities, studies have been conducted to determine efficacy of supplementation with oral glutamine. Early studies demonstrated potential benefit of oral glutamine supplementation in reducing toxicities of chemoradiation, and encouraging GI cell healing. Please review the following cases with your healthcare provider to determine if adding melatonin will be beneficial for your individual cause.
Patients receiving chemotherapy and high risk of developing mucositis:
- Oral glutamine may reduce the severity and incidence of mucositis.
Patients receiving radiation therapy to the abdomen:
- Oral glutamine may reduce the severity of diarrhea and can lead to fewer treatment delays.
- Oral glutamine may also reduce peripheral neuropathy in patients receiving the chemotherapy agent paclitaxel.
Sources
- Anderson PM, Schroeder G, Skubitz KM: Oral glutamine reduces the duration and severity of stomatitis after cytotoxic cancer chemotherapy. Cancer 83 (7): 1433-9, 1998.
- Skubitz KM, Anderson PM: Oral glutamine to prevent chemotherapy induced stomatitis: a pilot study. J Lab Clin Med 127 (2): 223-8, 1996.
- Peterson DE, Jones JB, Petit RG: Randomized, placebo-controlled trial of Saforis for prevention and treatment of oral mucositis in breast cancer patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Cancer 109 (2): 322-31, 2007.
- Kucuktulu E, Guner A, Kahraman I, et al.: The protective effects of glutamine on radiation-induced diarrhea. Support Care Cancer 21 (4): 1071-5, 2013.
- Rotovnik Kozjek N, Kompan L, Soeters P, et al.: Oral glutamine supplementation during preoperative radiochemotherapy in patients with rectal cancer: a randomised double blinded, placebo controlled pilot study. Clin Nutr 30 (5): 567-70, 2011.
- Bozzetti F, Biganzoli L, Gavazzi C, et al.: Glutamine supplementation in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: a double-blind randomized study. Nutrition 13 (7-8): 748-51, 1997 Jul-Aug.
- Vahdat L, Papadopoulos K, Lange D, et al.: Reduction of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy with glutamine. Clin Cancer Res 7 (5): 1192-7, 2001.
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