Glutathione with Chemotherapy | Part 2

Several clinics, mostly in Italy, have performed
clinical trials in which they gave glutathione in combination with chemotherapy
to determine whether it might ameliorate side effects while preserving the drug
activity. Dr. Block has extensively
reviewed the use of antioxidants, such as glutathione, given in combination
with chemotherapy before deciding to use this combination. Two systematic reviews were done to gather
the literature on all the randomized, controlled trials of antioxidants given
with chemotherapy. These were analyzed
to determine whether antioxidants affected either the toxicity or the efficacy
of chemotherapy. There were indications
that the antioxidants did lessen the toxicity of chemotherapy, and there was no
evidence that they diminished efficacy—in fact, there was some indication
that, due to fewer missed cycles resulting from side effects, patients may have
done better with antioxidants.  In the
literature searches that we did, 7 of the trials that we found concerned the
administration of glutathione with chemotherapy. The main chemotherapy drugs with which it was
studied were oxaliplatin and cisplatin, both of which are related to carboplatin. Today’s article will take a look at the
review we did on ovarian cancer studies.    

Three of the trials were in ovarian cancer. In no case were the response rates (tumor
shrinkage) or survival times worse in the glutathione group. They were either similar or the glutathione
group did better.  Results of the three
ovarian cancer studies were as follows: In one, the glutathione group had a 46% rate of complete tumor
disappearance whereas the control group had only 9%; survival times were
similar, and side effect results were better with glutathione. In another, rates of complete tumor
disappearance were 22% for glutathione and 11% for control; no survival data
were reported, and the glutathione group did better on side effects. In the third, rates of complete tumor
disappearance were 46% and 27%, and survival time was longer in the glutathione
group. In addition, the glutathione group had less neuropathy than the control
group.

Other cancers in which high-dose glutathione was
given include lung, gastric, colorectal and non-small cell lung cancer. Similar results were seen in all these
studies.