A little known side effect with a huge impact
Pancreatic Cancer Patient Survival Doubled With High Dose Of Common Vitamin, Study Finds
High doses of vitamin C could be a new breakthrough in treating cancer.
The University of Iowa Health Care Carver College of Medicine has shared results from a randomized, phase 2 trial testing the impact of adding high-dose vitamin C to intravenous chemotherapy treatments for pancreatic cancer patients.
The researchers found that administering 75 grams of vitamin C three times a week doubled overall survival rates of patients with late-stage metastatic pancreatic cancer from eight months to 16 months.
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The study, published in the journal Redox Biology, also found that progression-free survival was extended from four to six months.
The researchers found that vitamin C in high doses generates hydrogen peroxide, which "kills the cancer cells." (iStock)
Lead researcher Joseph Cullen, MD, University of Iowa professor of surgery and radiation oncology, shared in an interview with Fox News Digital that the "groundbreaking" findings are the result of 20 years of research on vitamin C.
After testing vitamin C in the lab, Iowa researchers found that using vitamin C in much higher doses "worked great" in killing cancer cells.
"Vitamin C, which is inexpensive and well-tolerated, may improve the efficacy of chemotherapy with a good quality of life."
"We found that at these high doses, ascorbate [vitamin C] actually generates hydrogen peroxide," Cullen said. "And the hydrogen peroxide is what kills the cancer cells."
The patients who received vitamin C in the phase 2, FDA-approved trial also seemed to "better tolerate the chemotherapy they were given," according to the researcher.
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"Therefore, they got more chemotherapy for longer periods of time and larger doses of chemotherapy, which also would kill the tumor cells," he added.
Intravenous vitamin C could also help combat other kinds of cancer, according to Cullen, who mentioned that his colleagues are looking into treating lung and brain cancer.
The patients in the study tolerated chemo better with high-dose IV vitamin C, the researcher said. (iStock)
Dr. Georgios Georgakis, a surgical oncologist at Stony Brook Medicine in New York, noted that these findings could "potentially be a breakthrough" for cancer patients.
"It seems to be working synergistically with chemotherapy," Georgakis, who was not involved in the study, said in a separate conversation with Fox News Digital.
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Dr. Joshua Strauss, an attending hematologist and medical oncologist at Advanced Care Oncology and Hematology Associates of the Atlantic Medical Group in Morristown, New Jersey, also expressed his support for this method.
"Small clinical trials such as this one have recently provided exciting and consistent signals that vitamin C, which is inexpensive and well-tolerated, may improve the efficacy of chemotherapy with a good quality of life," the oncologist, who also was not involved in this new research, said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is an "essential dietary nutrient" found in various foods like citrus fruits, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, strawberries, cabbage and spinach, according to Strauss.
Georgakis noted that vitamin C can help with tissue growth and repair, collagen production, wound healing, bone and skin health, and immune support.
In lower doses, vitamin C acts as an antioxidant. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends getting 75mg to 90mg daily.
Vitamin C can help the body with tissue growth and repair, collagen production, wound healing, bone and skin health, immune support and more. (iStock)
Once the body has taken in enough vitamin C, any excess is excreted through the kidneys and won't be absorbed, Cullen pointed out.
But once the dosage is bumped to much higher levels, such as 75 grams, it acts as a pro-oxidant.
"So, it actually makes these reactive oxygen species that kill cancer cells well," he said.
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It would take backing from a pharmaceutical company to support what would be a "multi-million-dollar" phase 3 trial to continue research, according to Cullen.
For now, he suggests that cancer patients interested in exploring IV vitamin C should talk to their oncologist and seek out professionals who can administer it.
Strauss applauded the researchers and the National Cancer Institute for their efforts, noting that he read the results with "cautious optimism."
"It seems to be working synergistically with chemotherapy," an oncologist commented on the method. (iStock)
"Pancreatic cancer can be extremely difficult to treat, and I am hopeful whenever I read positive results from a phase 2 study," he went on. "However, the study has several limitations, and the results should be carefully interpreted."
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Strauss and the study authors acknowledged some of those limitations, including the small sample size of 34 patients and lack of diversity.
"Larger randomized phase 3 trials are needed to confirm the results before this is adopted into widespread clinical use," Strauss told Fox News Digital.
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Georgakis agreed that although the trial did have a "very good outcome," this is "not the golden bullet for treating cancer."
"However, this is exactly what we need – incremental, good outcomes in our fight against cancer," he said.
Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.
Adding High-dose IV Vitamin C To Chemotherapy Can Boost Survival For Pancreatic Cancer Patients
Results from a randomized phase 2 clinical trial show that adding high-dose, intravenous (IV) vitamin C to chemotherapy doubles the overall survival of patients with late-stage metastatic pancreatic cancer from eight months to 16 months.
This is a deadly disease with very poor outcomes for patients. The median survival is eight months with treatment, probably less without treatment, and the five-year survival is tiny. When we started the trial, we thought it would be a success if we got to 12 months survival, but we doubled overall survival to 16 months. The results were so strong in showing the benefit of this therapy for patient survival that we were able to stop the trial early."
Joe Cullen, MD, University of Iowa professor of surgery, and radiation oncology, and senior author of the study
The findings, published in the November issue of Redox Biology, mark another success for high-dose, intravenous vitamin C, which has overcome many hurdles in the almost 20 years UI researchers have persevered to demonstrate its benefit for cancer patients.
"We've had ups and downs, of course, but this is a culmination of a lot of people's hard work," says Cullen, who also is a member of UI Health Care Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. "It's really a positive thing for patients and for the University of Iowa."
Increased survival, improved quality of lifeIn the study, 34 patients with stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer were randomized to receive either standard chemotherapy (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel), or the chemotherapy plus infusions of high-dose vitamin C. The results showed that average overall survival was 16 months for the patients receiving the chemotherapy plus vitamin C, compared to eight months for the patients getting just chemotherapy. In addition, progression-free survival was extended from four months to six months.
"Not only does it increase overall survival, but the patients seem to feel better with the treatment," Cullen says. "They have less side effects, and appear to be able to tolerate more treatment, and we've seen that in other trials, too."
The new study is not the only evidence of the benefit of including IV vitamin C as part of cancer treatment. Earlier this year, the results of another UI phase 2 clinical trial in patients with glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer, were published. That study also showed a significant increase in survival when high-dose, IV vitamin C was added to standard of care chemotherapy and radiation. Cullen was also part of that trial along with his colleague Bryan Allen, MD, PhD, UI professor and head of radiation oncology.
A third phase 2 trial in non-small cell lung cancer is still underway, with results expected within the year. All three trials were funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
"This NCI funding was incredibly important for us to conduct these phase 2 trials and obtain these really encouraging results. Our aim is to show that adding high-dose, IV vitamin C, which is very inexpensive and very well tolerated, can improve treatment for these cancers that are among the deadliest affecting the U.S. Population," Cullen adds.
A long journey to clinical trialsCullen, Allen, and their colleagues at UI Health Care have been researching the anti-cancer effect of high-dose, IV vitamin C for decades. Their work revealed a critical difference between vitamin C given intravenously and vitamin C taken orally. Giving vitamin C through an IV produces very high levels in the blood, which cannot be achieved with oral delivery. These high concentrations result in unique chemical reactions within cancer cells that render the cells more vulnerable to chemo- and radiation therapies.
Cullen notes that despite skepticism towards vitamin C as a cancer therapy, the results he and his colleagues have obtained, from basic science findings to understand the biological mechanisms at work, through the various clinical trials, have been highly encouraging and robust.
"Through every step of the process, it continued to improve. We did it in cells, it worked great. We did it in mice, it worked great. Then our phase one trials looked very promising. So, the progression has just been phenomenal, really," Cullen says. "For example, in one of our phase 1 trials for pancreatic cancer, where we combine high-dose IV vitamin C with radiation, we still have three long-term survivors. They're out nine years at this point, which is far beyond the typical survival range."
In addition to Cullen and Allen, the UI team also included cancer physicians and researchers from the Departments of Surgery, Radiation Oncology, Internal Medicine in the UI Carver College of Medicine, the UI College of Public Health, and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Source:
Journal reference:
Bodeker, K. L., et al. (2024). A randomized trial of pharmacological ascorbate, gemcitabine, and nab-paclitaxel for metastatic pancreatic cancer. Redox Biology. Doi.Org/10.1016/j.Redox.2024.103375.
Study Explain If Vitamin C Can Help Cancer Patients
The antidote to cancer might just be somewhere in our refrigerators. According to a study led by Dr. Joseph J. Cullen, University of Iowa, intravenous, high-dose vitamin C to a chemotherapy procedure can increase the survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer from right months to 16 months.
Joseph J. Cullen, MD, FACS, a professor of Surgery and Radiation Oncology at the University of Iowa, told StudyFinds, "This is a deadly disease with very poor outcomes for patients. The median survival is eight months with treatment, probably less without treatment, and the five-year survival is tiny. When we started the trial, we thought it would be a success if we got to 12 months survival, but we doubled overall survival to 16 months. The results were so strong in showing the benefit of this therapy for patient survival that we were able to stop the trial early."
Findings of the study:The study was conducted on 34 patients with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. The participants were divided into two groups – one group received standard chemotherapy, and the other group received the same procedure of chemotherapy, but added with intravenous infusions of 75 grams of vitamin C three times a week.
It was observed that the second group who received infusions of Vitamin C demonstrated a survival rate of 16 months, while the patients who received only chemotherapy survived for only right months. Not only that, patients who received Vitamin C infusions also felt better during the entire procedure and showed more tolerance to the treatment.
Vitamin C and brain cancerBryan Allen, MD, PhD, a professor and chief of Radiation Oncology at the University of Iowa, and Joseph J. Cullen collaborated on another project where they used infusions of Vitamin C on glioblastoma, a form of deadly brain cancer. Vitamin C demonstrated to increase survival rate in this case as well.
Joseph J. Cullen also added that in case of pancreatic cancer, Vitamin C infusions have proved to even save patients. Three participants are still alive, with nine years at this point, which is a lot more than the expected survival rate in these types of cancers.
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