Abstract

SANTOS, Ana Lilian Bispo dos; NOVAES, Maria Rita Carvalho Garbi; TOLEDO, Daniel Carvalho de  and  CAVALCANTE, Pedro Henrique Lourenço. Effects of Glutamine in the Colorectal Cancer. Arq Med [online]. 2010, vol.24, n.5, pp.199-205. ISSN 2183-2447.

Cancer is responsible for approximately 14% of all causes of mortality, being colorectal cancer (CRC) the third most common type of malignancy in the world. Studies show that a dietary supplementation with glutamine has decreased the side effects of cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to make a critical analysis of the literature so as to elucidate the effects of glutamine in patients with CRC. Consultation was done in original papers and published review in the following databases: LILACS, ENSP, FSP, HISA, PAHO, WHOLIS, Cochrane e MEDLINE, from January 1980 to December 2009, using descriptors: glutamine and colorectal cancer in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Sixty-five articles were obtained based as follow: Cochrane (41.5%), MEDLINE (58.5%). Thirteen articles that met the criteria for inclusion were selected and used in tables of clinical and experimental studies. Of these, 33.3% were from Cochrane and 66.7% from MEDLINE. Studies conducted with animals and humans have shown that in the presence of CRC, glutamine may have effects on the reduction of tumor growth improving immune response and increasing tumor sensitivity to chemotherapy, since it reduces the levels of tumoral glutathione and increases or maintains the stock of this antioxidant in the intestines. However, additional controlled and randomized trials are needed in order to elucidate the possible effects and mechanisms of action of glutamine in larger sample with different colorectal cancer staging.

Keywords : cancer; glutamine; supplementary feeding.

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