• V S Klimberg and J L McClellan.
• Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Little Rock, USA.
• Am. J. Surg. 1996 Nov 1;172(5):418-24.

ObjectiveThis overview on glutamine, cancer and its therapy discusses some of the in vitro and in vivo work on glutamine and tumor growth, and summarizes animal and human data on the potential benefits of glutamine in the tumor-bearing host receiving radiation or chemotherapy.BackgroundGlutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body. A tumor can act as a "glutamine trap," depleting host glutamine stores and resulting in cachexia. In vitro evidence of the dependence of tumor growth on glutamine has deterred its use in the clinic setting.MethodsData from a variety of investigations studying glutamine's interaction with the tumor-bearing host receiving radiation or chemotherapy were compiled and summarized.ResultsA large body of evidence in vivo suggests that supplemental glutamine does not make tumors grow but in fact results in decreased growth through stimulation of the immune system. When given with radiation or chemotherapy, glutamine protects the host and actually increases the selectivity of therapy for the tumor.ConclusionFurther prospective randomized trials are needed to demonstrate the safety and efficacy in humans undergoing radiation and chemotherapy.

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