The effect of HMB\arginine\glutamine combination on the treatment releated toxicity and the health releated quality of life in cancer patients undergoing pelvic radiotherapy

Pelvic radiotherapy is commonly used with or without chemotherapy in neoadjuvant, adjuvant or definitive cancer treatment setting especially for rectum, cervics, endometrium and bladder cancer. Malnutrition is diagnosed in most of the cancer patients and releated with poor outcomes. Mucositis emerging to pelvic raditherapy is releated with loss of appetite, malnutrition and weight loss and causes treatment releated toxicity and morbidity. As a result of cancer and treatment releated toxicity, patients? health releated quality of life (HR-QOL) can be deteriorated and malnutrition risk increases. In this clinic trial it was aimed to examine the effects of HMB\Arginin\Glutamine mixture combination on HRQOL, treatment releated side effects and nutritional status during the pelvic radiotherapy. Forty nine cancer patients undergoing chemo/radiotherapy in Gazi University Medicine School Radiation Oncology Department were followed in terms of nutritional status, quality of life, treatment releated toxicity, fatigue, anxiety, depression, skeletal muscle mass and laboratory parameters throughout the pelvic radiotherapy. Patients were stratified to two groups according the age, sex, surgery, tumor type and concurrent chemoterapy status. 25 patients used HMG\Arginine\Glutamine mixture twice a day and 24 patients did not receive any nutritional support during the radiotherapy. When groups were compared, a statistically significant improvement of the anxiety and depression were established. Some improvement in the percentage weight loss, treatment-related side effects, fatigue, risk of malnutrition, skeletal muscle mass, serum levels of prealbumin and albumin was found, although it was not statistically significant. That is not assigned obvious difference in HR-QOL between the groups. In the literature, there is no data concerning about the effects of HMB\Arginine\Glutamine mixture on nutritional status, toxicity and HR-QOL undergoing pelvic radiotherapy. Because of the imrovement in nutritional parameters, toxicity, mood changes and laboratory findings, this combination may be used during pelvic radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy.