Cruciani, R. A., Dvorkin, E., Homel, P., Malamud, S., Culliney, B., Lapin, J., . . . Esteban-Cruciani, N. (2006). Safety, tolerability and symptom outcomes associated with L-carnitine supplementation in patients with cancer, fatigue, and carnitine deficiency: a phase I/II study. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 32, 551–559.
Carnitine deficiency is among the many metabolic disturbances that may contribute to fatigue in patients with cancer. Administration of exogenous L-carnitine may hold promise as a treatment for this symptom. Carnitine was prepared by the institutional pharmacy at a concentration of 1 g/mL. The drug was administered in two daily doses for seven days. After the intervention period, patients were allowed to continue L-carnitine supplementation if desired. Patient outcomes were evaluated at baseline and on day seven.
Beth Israel Medical Center Continuum Hospice Care, Jacob Perlow Hospice, or the Cancer Center
Patients were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.
The study was an open-label, phase I/II clinical trial.
Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI)
Patients who received the L-carnitine intervention experienced a significant decline in fatigue (p < 0.001) as BFI scores decreased from baseline (66.1 [standard deviation (SD) = 12]) to one week after treatment to (39.7 [SD = 26]).