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A recent study led by the University of Iowa highlights the effectiveness of high doses of vitamin C administered intravenously as a complementary treatment against certain advanced cancers, particularly difficult to treat, such as pancreatic cancer or glioblastoma.
Intravenous vitamin C (at doses that cannot be obtained by ingesting vitamin C) exploits a metabolic vulnerability of tumor cells to make them more vulnerable to cancer treatments.
Survival doubled for advanced pancreatic cancers
Researchers at the University of Iowa were interested in a particularly formidable cancer: advanced-stage metastatic pancreatic cancer. “It is a fatal disease with very poor patient outcomes. Median survival is eight months with treatment, probably less without treatment, and five-year survival is minimal” says Dr. Joe Cullen, professor of surgery and radiation oncology at the University of Iowa and lead author of the study.
In the study, 34 patients with stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer were randomized to receive either standard chemotherapy (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel) or chemotherapy plus high-dose vitamin C infusions.
Results: The addition of vitamin C doubles the overall survival of patients, from 8 to 16 months. “Not only does the treatment increase overall survival, but patients appear to feel better because of it“, explains Dr. Cullen. “They have fewer side effects and seem to be able to tolerate treatment better, which we have also seen in other trials“.
Promising results for other formidable cancers
Indeed, earlier this year, another phase 2 clinical trial in patients with glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer, showed a significant increase in survival when high-dose IV vitamin C was added to standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
A third phase 2 trial in non-small cell lung cancer is still ongoing, with results expected later this year. “Our objective is to show that the addition of high-dose vitamin C intravenously, which is very inexpensive and very well tolerated, can improve the treatment of these cancers which are among the most deadly.“, adds Cullen.
Intravenous administration of vitamin C produces very high levels in the blood (which is not possible with oral administration) results in unique chemical reactions within cancer cells that make the cells more vulnerable to chemotherapies and to radiotherapy.
Cullen notes that despite initial skepticism, his team’s results have been very encouraging and strong. “At each step of the process, the outcome continued to improve. We did it on cells, and it worked very well. We did it on mice, and it worked very well. Then our phase 1 trials looked very promising. So the progress has been phenomenal, really.“, explains Cullen. “For example, in one of our phase 1 trials in pancreatic cancer, where we combine high-dose intravenous vitamin C and radiation, we still have three long-term survivors. They are now nine years old, which is well beyond the typical survival range.”.
Based on an easy-to-produce and inexpensive compound, this discovery reaffirms the importance of combining classic clinical approaches with innovative strategies to improve the outcomes of patients with difficult-to-treat cancers.