Large Doses of Vitamin C Can Boost Cancer Treatment
Infusing brain and lung cancer patients with 800 to 1,000 times the daily recommended amount (60 mg/day for adults) of vitamin C improved the outcomes of standard cancer treatments in recent clinical trials and was found to extend survival, according to researchers from the University of Iowa. The vitamin works by sensitizing cancer cells to radiation and chemotherapy.
The researchers also showed pathways caused by high doses of vitamin C by which altered iron metabolism in cancer cells lead to increased to sensitivity to cancer cell killing. Normal cells are not affected by the high doses.
The study authors are faculty members in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Free Radical and Radiation Biology Program in the University’s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. Findings were published online in Cancer Cell March 30, 2017.
How Does This Work? Vitamin C is not toxic to normal cells, even at high levels. The researchers found that cancer tissue’s high levels of redox active iron molecules (that is, a chemical reaction that changes oxidation rates of atoms) combine with vitamin C to form hydrogen peroxide along with free radicals derived from hydrogen peroxide. These free radicals are thought to cause DNA damage in cancer cells, leading to increased cancer cell death.
Eleven patients took part in the trial. Each received three weekly infusions of vitamin C over two months, followed by twice-weekly infusions for seven months, during which they continued to receive radiation and chemotherapy. Each infusion raised their vitamin C levels to 20,000 μM (micrometers); the usual adult blood level of vitamin C is about 70 μM. The phase I findings showed an increase in overall survival of 18 to 22 months in glioblastoma multiforme (brain cancer) patients compared to 14-16 months with standard treatment alone.
Phase II clinical trials will follow, to determine whether high-dose vitamin C can extend survival and quality of life for patients receiving radiation and chemotherapy. The researchers are enrolling patients with stage 4 lung cancer and will enroll patients with brain cancer in the phase II trials.
Hope for Cancer Patients. Researchers say that while results look promising, completion of Phase II trials will determine the efficacy of the cost-effective treatment, which can total less than one dose of some cancer-fighting drugs.
The post Large Doses of Vitamin C Can Boost Cancer Treatment appeared first on University Health News.
Read Original Article: Large Doses of Vitamin C Can Boost Cancer Treatment »
Powered by WPeMatico
