The effects of oral glutamine on clinical and survival outcomes of non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy

Summary Purpose To assess the efficacy of oral glutamine (Gln) supplementation on clinical and survival outcomes of patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC). Materials/methods Between 2010 and 2014, 122 stage III NSCLC patients were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received curative intent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Prophylactic oral Gln powder was applied at a dose of 10 g tid. Effect of oral Gln supplementation in the prevention of severe (≥grade 2–3) acute radiation-induced esophagitis (ARE) and weight loss, and their relation with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was measured. Results Median follow-up was 13.14 months (range; 1.97–55.36). Fifty-six (46%) patients had received oral Gln. Severe ARE was significantly lower in Gln-supplemented group (30% vs 70%; p = 0.002). Gln-free patients demonstrated a higher weight loss (p = 0.0001). In multivariate analysis hemoglobin (hb) level (