the impact of glutamine mouthwash on preventing mucositis following administration of high doses of methotrexate in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a randomized clinical trial

Background: acute lymphoblastic leukemia (all) represents the predominant childhood cancer. high-dose methotrexate is integral to leukemia treatment protocols. this study aimed to explore the efficacy of glutamine in preventing mucositis among leukemia patients undergoing high-dose methotrexate therapy.method: this randomized clinical trial encompassed 45 patients (22 in the glutamine group and 23 in the placebo group). the intervention group was administered a glutamine mouthwash, while the control group received an identical placebo. data analysis was performed using spss version 23, with a significance threshold set at p < 0.05.results: no significant difference emerged between the groups concerning the incidence of nausea and vomiting; however, both groups observed a notable reduction in nausea frequency from the first to the fourth days (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.040, respectively). grades iii and iv mucositis were absent in both groups on the third and seventh days post-treatment. furthermore, no significant difference was detected in mucositis improvement between the groups (p = 0.848).conclusion: glutamine mouthwash significantly reduced the incidence of nausea and vomiting, which are common chemotherapy complications. moreover, up to 95% of patients were free from mucositis by the seventh-day post-chemotherapy.