Impact of hyperglycemia on the efficacy of chemotherapy-A systematic review of preclinical studies.

BACKGROUND: Antineoplastic agents can provoke hyperglycemia in cancer patients with and without diabetes mellitus. We systematically reviewed the impact of hyperglycemia on the efficacy of chemotherapy.

METHODS: MEDLINE was searched for preclinical intervention studies which compared chemotherapy response in hyperglycemic and euglycemic conditions.

RESULTS: Thirteen preclinical studies, including 23 cell lines and 2 animal experiments were identified. In 14 cell lines and 2 animal studies, chemotherapy response was lower in a hyperglycemic (>15mmol/L) compared to a euglycemic environment (5mmol/L). The response was similar in 4 cell lines. In the remaining 5 cell lines, the hyperglycemic environment potentiated chemotherapy efficacy.

CONCLUSION: Hyperglycemia attenuated the antiproliferative effect of chemotherapy in preclinical experiments, but the results are inconsistent. Whether hyperglycemia influences efficacy of chemotherapy in patients needs to be explored.