Table 3.
Studies examining Cr supplementation in a cancer context.
| Authors (Year) | Patients | Treatment Modality | Dosage | Protocol Du-RATION | Compliance | Exercise Program | Results | Adverse Effects Related to Supplementation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jatoi et al. (2017) [98] | 263 cancer patients (65 ± 11 yrs.) with weight loss syndrome | 210 undergoing concurrent chemotherapy | 20 g/day for 5 days then 2 g/day | 39 weeks | nr | n/a | ↔body weight, appetite, QoL, frailty, grip strength | None reported |
| Bourgeois et al. (2008) [99] | 9 children (7.6 ± 3.8 yrs.) with ALL under-going chemotherapy | Maintenance phase of treatment on the Dann-Farber Cancer Institute protocol 2000–2001 | 0.1 g/kg/day | 2 × 16 weeks separated by 6-week wash-out period. | nr | n/a | ↓ BF% Cr, ↑ BF% NH, ↔BMD | None reported |
| Norman et al. (2006) [100] | 31 stage III/IV colorectal cancer patients (65.10 ± 12.55 yrs.) undergoing chemotherapy | n = 11: fluorouracil/folic acid (5-FU FA); n = 9: fluorouracil/folic acid + oxaliplatin (5-FU FA + O); n = 11: fluorouracil/folic acid + irinotecan (5-FU FA + I) | 20 g/day for 7 days then 5 g/day | 8 weeks | Cr: 84.55 ± 7.77%; PLA: 87.62 ± 5.90% | n/a | ↔ weight, capacitance, KE, HR, BCM, BF; ↑ HG 5-FU FA: ↑ phase angle, ECM/BCM ratio | None reported |
| Lonbro et al. (2013) [101] | 30 Head and neck patients treated with radiotherapy | Radiotherapy according to DA-HANCA guidelines (www.da-hanca.dk) + chemotherapy (n = 20: cisplatin, 40 mg/m2). N = 4 received Zalutumumab | 5 g/day + 30 g Pro/day | 12 weeks | 69% ingested all supplementation; 19% missed ≤ 3 supplementations; 12% terminated 4 weeks early | 3 days/wk., 3 × 10 total body | ↑LBM ProCr group, ns↑PLA ↔ muscle strength **, ↔ Physical function ** | No major adverse events reported; 2 participants stopped supplementation 4 weeks early due to muscle cramping and mucus production |
ALL: acute lymphoblastic leukemia; BCM: body cell mass; BF%: body fat percentage; BMD: bone mineral density; Cr: creatine supplementation; ECM: extracellular mass; g: gram; HG: hand grip; HF: hip flexion; Kg: kilogram; KE: knee extension; LBM: lean body mass; MF: muscle function; NH: natural history group; PLA: placebo; ProCr: protein + creatine supplementation; n/a: not applicable; nr: not reported; QoL: quality of life; yrs: years old; ↑: increase; ↓: decrease; ↔: no change; ** compared to placebo. (Reproduced with permission from Fairman et al. 2019 [97]).