High-Dose Vitamin C in Advanced-Stage Cancer Patients
- PMID: 33652579
- PMCID: PMC7996511
- DOI: 10.3390/nu13030735
High-Dose Vitamin C in Advanced-Stage Cancer Patients
Abstract
High-dose intravenously administered vitamin C (IVC) is widely used in cancer patients by complementary and alternative medicine practitioners. The most frequent indications for IVC therapy result from the belief in its effectiveness as a potent anti-cancer agent which additionally enhances chemosensitivity of cancer cells and reduces chemotherapy-related toxicities and fatigue intensity. In this narrative review, we decided to deal with this issue, trying to answer the question whether there is any scientific evidence supporting the rationale for application of high-dose IVC therapy in advanced-stage cancer patients. Although results obtained from preclinical studies demonstrated that millimolar ascorbate plasma concentrations achievable only after IVC administration were cytotoxic to fast-growing malignant cells and inhibited tumor growth as well as prolonged the survival of laboratory animals, such positive effects were not found in human studies with advanced-stage cancer patients. We also have not found the rationale for the use of IVC to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and to reduce the chemotherapy-induced toxicity in the above mentioned group. Nevertheless, in palliative care, high-dose IVC might be considered as a therapy improving the quality of life and reducing cancer-related symptoms, such as fatigue and bone pain. However, because of the absence of placebo-controlled randomized trials on IVC efficacy in advanced-stage cancer patients, the placebo effect cannot be excluded.
Keywords: cancer; cancer-related fatigue; pain; palliative care; quality of life; vitamin C.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Similar articles
-
Intravenous Vitamin C and Cancer: A Systematic Review.Integr Cancer Ther. 2014 Jul;13(4):280-300. doi: 10.1177/1534735414534463. Epub 2014 May 26. Integr Cancer Ther. 2014. PMID: 24867961 Review.
-
Clinical experience with intravenous administration of ascorbic acid: achievable levels in blood for different states of inflammation and disease in cancer patients.J Transl Med. 2013 Aug 15;11:191. doi: 10.1186/1479-5876-11-191. J Transl Med. 2013. PMID: 23947403 Free PMC article.
-
High-dose intravenous vitamin C combined with cytotoxic chemotherapy in patients with advanced cancer: a phase I-II clinical trial.PLoS One. 2015 Apr 7;10(4):e0120228. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120228. eCollection 2015. PLoS One. 2015. PMID: 25848948 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
-
Effect of high-dose intravenous vitamin C on inflammation in cancer patients.J Transl Med. 2012 Sep 11;10:189. doi: 10.1186/1479-5876-10-189. J Transl Med. 2012. PMID: 22963460 Free PMC article.
-
High-dose intravenous vitamin C, a promising multi-targeting agent in the treatment of cancer.J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2021 Oct 30;40(1):343. doi: 10.1186/s13046-021-02134-y. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2021. PMID: 34717701 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Impact of vitamin C on the development, differentiation and functional properties of T cells.Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp). 2024 Mar 6;14(2):67-74. doi: 10.1556/1886.2024.00017. Print 2024 May 14. Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp). 2024. PMID: 38446173 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Sphingomyelin Metabolism Modifies Luminal A Breast Cancer Cell Line under a High Dose of Vitamin C.Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Dec 8;24(24):17263. doi: 10.3390/ijms242417263. Int J Mol Sci. 2023. PMID: 38139092 Free PMC article.
-
PARP inhibitor combinations with high-dose vitamin C in the treatment of Ewing sarcoma: two case reports and mechanistic overview.Ther Adv Med Oncol. 2023 Dec 15;15:17588359231213841. doi: 10.1177/17588359231213841. eCollection 2023. Ther Adv Med Oncol. 2023. PMID: 38107827 Free PMC article.
-
Role of Vitamin C in Targeting Cancer Stem Cells and Cellular Plasticity.Cancers (Basel). 2023 Nov 30;15(23):5657. doi: 10.3390/cancers15235657. Cancers (Basel). 2023. PMID: 38067361 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Cytotoxicity profiling of choline chloride-based natural deep eutectic solvents.RSC Adv. 2023 Jan 25;13(6):3520-3527. doi: 10.1039/d2ra07488e. eCollection 2023 Jan 24. RSC Adv. 2023. PMID: 36756554 Free PMC article.
References
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical