Cancer chemotherapeutic response and intravenous hyperalimentation
The data given suggest that chemotherapeutic response is most probable in patients with stable body weight and that increased responsiveness might be realized by concomitant IVH of patients who are losing weight. Law et al. have provided evidence that nutritional status is correlated with immunocompetence and that lymphocyte phytohemagglutinin reactivity is enhanced in cachectic patients after 18 days of IVH at 2000-3000 kcal/day. On the other hand, Meyer has suggested that relative tumor cell reliance on glycolytic metabolism be exploited by providing excess substrate in the form of glucose during chemotherapy, thus inducing intracellular lactic acidosis and tumor cell vulnerability. The observations of the present study provide the basis for the prospective testing of the hypothesis that chemotherapeutic response in bronchogenic carcinoma may be favorably influenced by IVH of patients who are losing weight.
