by Dr. Colin Race

The use of Vitamin C in cancer treatment has an extensive history. Nobel Prize winning Linus Pauling first used high dose intravenous Vitamin C (IVC) in the 1960s, and since then many doctors and researchers have established its benefit to cancer patients, especially to:

• Improve quality of life
• Decrease side effects and adverse reactions to chemotherapy
• Improve the effect of chemotherapy
• Increase lifespan and survival

The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) recently published three well documented case reports where high dose vitamin C was able to improve symptoms and prolong life in patients with terminal cancer.

More human research is long overdue after decades of clinical data and laboratory research have demonstrated the effectiveness of IVC in cancer treatment. Fortunately now, research groups at McGill University in Montreal and the University of Kansas Medical Center are following up with even more extensive studies.

The use of IVC has an exemplary safety record, including when used in combination with chemotherapy and other conventional treatments.

Within the context of Complementary Cancer Care, IVC is just one part of a complete treatment program specifically designed for the patient, type and stage of cancer. All of the treatments offered are based on evidence amassed over many years of research conducted in both clinical and laboratory settings (see Integrative Cancer Care).

In addition to the information below, more resources are available through the following links:

• Vive’s Integrative Cancer Care
• CBC McGill Video on IVC
• Information from the University of Kansas Medical Center on Intravenous Vitamin C

The research behind Intravenous Vitamin C in cancer treatment is overwhelmingly positive and includes research from a combination of:

• Patient care from medical centres throughout the world,
• Laboratory research to help understand how Vitamin C works in cancer treatment, and
• Laboratory research to learn how Vitamin C interacts with chemotherapy.

As mentioned, a number case reports have been published in the medical literature, and larger scale research is continuing at medical centres around the world. Three published articles describing responses to IVC are listed here:

The first paper, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, highlights three cases of advanced, incurable cancer documented with the highest standard of objective assessment. All three cases achieved long–term remission. These authors recommend high–dose IVC be studied further for complementary cancer treatment, research which is currently taking place at McGill University.

A second paper, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, reports on the use of antioxidants including IVC in two cases of ovarian cancer. Since the positive results found in these two cases, a randomized controlled trial is now underway at the University of Kansas Medical Center studying the use of antioxidants and IVC treatment combined with chemotherapy in ovarian cancer.

Another study of 39 terminal cancer patients in Korea used small, palliative doses of Vitamin C. The study found clear evidence of improved quality of life, with improved physical, cognitive and emotional function. The patients also had significantly less fatigue, nausea, pain and appetite loss. This study used only 10 grams of IVC twice per week.

Further human research has verified the strong safety record of IVC. Even at very high daily doses of Vitamin C no safety issues have emerged. In fact, with IVC patients generally feel much stronger and healthier, while experiencing far fewer side effects of chemotherapy with the treatments. On the other hand, if the IVC is discontinued, strength diminishes and they begin to experience the adverse effects of chemotherapy much more strongly.

Vitamin C combined with chemotherapy has been well studied, and none of the research shows any indication of interference. In actual fact, the medical literature is full of evidence to support the combination of Vitamin C with chemotherapy. Together they act synergistically to better the effect of chemotherapy, and in some cases even overcome chemotherapy resistance.

Some of the chemotherapeutic drugs tested in combination with Vitamin C include: Cisplatin, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin (Adriamycin), Dacarbazine (DTIC), Docetaxel (Taxotere), Etoposide, Epirubicin, Gemcitabine (Gemzar), Interferon–alpha 2b, Imatinib (Gleevec), Mitomycin C, Paclitaxel (Taxol), 5–fluorouricil (5–FU), Tamoxifen, Vincristine (Oncovin), and likely more.

Much of the published research is conducted in laboratory cell cultures, and these results verify the observations of doctors who have for many years seen their patients benefit from adding IVC to their chemotherapy regimen.

There are many studies evaluating vitamin C and its effects on cancer in cell cultures.

While vitamin C usually acts as an antioxidant, at high concentrations Vitamin C acts as a powerful oxidant through the production of hydrogen peroxide, which damages the machinery of the cancer cell. Normal cells produce an enzyme called catalase which neutralizes hydrogen peroxide, but cancer cells are not able to produce enough catalase to prevent the damage.

To achieve the desired oxidant effect, Vitamin C must be present in the blood at very high concentrations. Oral administration of Vitamin C gives blood concentrations of maximum 220 mcg/L even with very large and frequent doses, whereas cancer treatment requires blood concentrations in the range of 5000 mcg/L. Intravenous infusions are the only way to reach the effective concentrations.

In 2008, the Journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported on an experiment that showed that intravenous levels of Vitamin C could reduce tumor volumes by 41–53%. The effect was believed to be from hydrogen peroxide being formed and sustained in the tumors within 30 minutes of exposure.

Two studies regarding the use of Vitamin C in cancer demonstrated negative results. Both have been well publicized and referenced continually in the argument against Vitamin C use in cancer treatment.

Unfortunately, these two studies are not representative of the actual conditions in which doctors use IVC in cancer treatment.

The first study by the Mayo Clinic used only oral vitamin C, which we know cannot achieve the blood concentrations needed to have an anti–cancer effect.

The second study used a form of Vitamin C called dehydroascorbate (DHA), a variant of Vitamin C that no doctor uses, or even has access to. Furthermore, based upon what is known about how Vitamin C works to attack cancer cells, DHA could not chemically or physiologically have the same effect.

When carefully critiqued for the quality of the research, and compared against all of the positive data, these negative results carry very little weight.

The unbiased information presented above paints a very positive picture of the potential therapeutic properties of Vitamin C as a means to treat cancer, improve quality of life and improve the effect of chemotherapy.

In our view, Intravenous Vitamin C and other complementary cancer treatments are meant to be integrated with conventional treatments. We only advocate the use of specific therapies that are known to be safe and are supported by clinical evidence.