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High-Dose Vitamin C Improves Outcomes for Late-Stage Pancreatic Cancer
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Key Takeaways
- High-dose IV vitamin C with chemotherapy may double survival in late-stage metastatic pancreatic cancer from 8 to 16 months.
- The study involved 34 patients, showing improved progression-free survival and no increase in adverse events.
High-dose vitamin C, when combined with chemotherapy, has shown the potential to double the survival rate of patients with late-stage metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Adding high dose, intravenous (IV) vitamin C to chemotherapy could potentially double the overall survival among individuals with late-stage metastatic pancreatic cancer from 8 to 16 months, according to research findings published in Redox Biology. The findings further the body of research supporting high-dose IV vitamin C as part of cancer treatment, according to study authors.1
IV drip vitamin treatments infusion drop intravenous medical use booster’s beauty supplement therapy concept - Image credit: Trsakaoe | stock.adobe.com
“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 US population,” said senior author Joe Cullen, MD, University of Iowa professor of surgery and radiation oncology, in a news release.1
Metastatic pancreatic cancer begins in the pancreas before spreading to other organs within the abdomen, liver, lungs, bones, and brain. Based on where the cancer has spread, metastatic pancreatic cancer is categorized as Stage 4A if it reached nearby organs or blood vessels that surround the pancreas; or Stage 4B if it reached distant organs. Treatment approaches are often based on the size, location, and cellular makeup of the tumor. However, systemic treatments are the most recommended, as chemotherapy and targeted therapy are often used to treat individuals with late-stage pancreatic cancer.2
“This is a deadly disease with very poor outcomes for patients. The median survival is 8 months with treatment, probably less without treatment, and the five-year survival is tiny,” said Cullen, in a news release.1
Previous research found that pharmacological ascorbate (P-AscH-, high dose, IV, vitamin C) could be a promising adjunct to chemotherapy. To continue this research, the investigators assessed whether adding P-AscH to standard chemotherapy (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel) would increase the survival among patients with late-stage metastatic pancreatic cancer. The study included 34 individuals with stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer who were randomly assigned to receive gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel, or the chemotherapy plus infusions of high-dose vitamin C, 3 times weekly.1,3
The primary outcome of the study was overall survival with secondary objectives of determining progression-free survival and adverse event incidence, according to the study authors.3
The results found that average overall survival was 16 months for individuals who received 75 g vitamin C infusions with chemotherapy, compared to 8 months for individuals who received chemotherapy alone (HR = 0.46; 90 % CI 0.23, 0.92; p = 0.030). Further results found that progression-free survival increased from 4 months to 6 months with high-dose vitamin C infusions(HR = 0.43; 90 % CI 0.20, 0.92; p = 0.029).1,3
“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,” said Cullen, in a news release.1
The study authors noted that adding vitamin C infusions did not negatively impact the quality of life or increase the severity of adverse events.1,3
“Not only does it increase overall survival, but the patients seem to feel better with the treatment," said Cullen, in a news release. “They have less side effects, and appear to be able to tolerate more treatment, and we've seen that in other trials, too.”1
Additionally, IV vitamin C plus standard of care chemotherapy displayed benefits in treating glioblastoma — a deadly form of brain cancer. It is also currently being evaluated to treat non-small cell lung cancer.1
