by Sayer Ji, Green Med Info:
Life expectancy with chemotherapy alone is eight months, while adding high-dose intravenous vitamin C resulted in 16 months of survival.
Adding high-dose vitamin C to a cancer treatment regimen may double survival time, according to a clinical trial that tested this in pancreatic cancer patients.
Typically diagnosed in its advanced stages, pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis and leaves patients with limited treatment options, with most surviving only eight months with standard chemotherapy.
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“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,” senior study author Dr. Joe Cullen, professor of surgery and radiation oncology at the University of Iowa, said in a press statement.
“The results were so strong … that we were able to stop the trial early.”
Published in the November issue of Redox Biology, the study suggests that high-dose vitamin C may not only help slow or even kill cancer cells but also reduce the physical suffering of those undergoing chemotherapy.
Better Tolerance and Fewer Side Effects
The phase 2 trial showed that 34 patients with stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer receiving both chemotherapy and high-dose vitamin C survived an average of 16 months–double the eight months seen in those treated with chemotherapy alone. In addition to the survival benefit, patients who received vitamin C experienced fewer side effects and could complete more treatment cycles without delays or dose reductions.
“Not only does it increase overall survival, but the patients seem to feel better with the treatment,” said Cullen.
According to the study, vitamin C appears to help protect healthy cells from these side effects by reducing the oxidative stress and inflammation triggered by chemotherapy. As a result, patients were better able to tolerate the treatment and continue their cycles without interruption.
Researchers found that patients given high-dose vitamin C experienced fewer side effects from chemotherapy. This helped them stay on track with their treatment and reduced the risks associated with chemotherapy.
Over half of the patients in the vitamin C group had stable white blood cell levels with no fevers. In contrast, nearly two-thirds of the chemotherapy-only group developed low white blood cell counts, putting them at higher risk for infection. Additionally, over 12 percent of the chemotherapy-only group experienced fevers due to a low white blood cell count, which can lead to hospitalization. Around 95 percent of the vitamin C group had stable platelet levels, while over 12 percent of the chemotherapy-only group had low platelets, increasing their risk of bleeding.
