Putting into Evidence: the Effect of Oral Glutamine on Radiation-induced Esophagitis among Patients with Lung Cancer

Oral glutamine supplementation is highly effective in preventing and delayingradiation-induced esophagitis, one of the most common discomforting side effects ofradiation to the thoracic area among lung cancer patients. according to the literature,lung cancer is the leading cause of death among all cancers with the highest incidenceworldwide. this paper aims to emphasize the importance of oral glutamine supplemen-tation in preventing radiation-induced esophagitis among lung cancer patients. severaldatabases have been searched and seven studies included in this review (five randomizedcontrol studies, one quasi-experimental study and one systematic review) with a totalof 453 patients. the patients in these studies were diagnosed with lung cancer regardlessof type or stage. the patients were either assigned to an intervention group (glutaminesupplementation) or a control group. these studies were conducted in the us, turkey,spain, and greece from 2003 until 2012.the results showed that 10 mg of oral glutamine three times per day on a daily basis(from one month before starting radiation until one month after completion ofradiation)was effective in preventing and delaying radiation-induced esophagitis.