Vitamin C and Cancer – Research – Eat | Pray

“Many studies have been made over the years with the following results shown:

Treatment with high-dose vitamin C slowed the growth and spread of prostate, pancreatic, liver, colon, malignant mesothelioma, neuroblastoma, and other types of cancer cells.

Combining high-dose vitamin C with certain types of chemotherapy may be more effective than chemotherapy alone:

Ascorbic acid with arsenic trioxide may be more effective in ovarian cancer cells.

Ascorbic acid with gemcitabine may be more effective in pancreatic cancer cells.

Ascorbic acid with gemcitabine and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) may be more effective in malignant mesothelioma cells.

Another laboratory study suggested that combining high-dose vitamin C with radiation therapy killed more glioblastoma multiforme cells than radiation therapy alone.

Additionally the studies found that patients who received IV vitamin C had better quality of life and fewer side effects than those who did not.” — The Demster Clinic, Toronto

Source: http://www.thedempsterclinic.com

I get a lot of enquiries on Vitamin C and cancer from my previous entry on my Vitamin C IV drip experience. As such, I decided to share a bit about my summarized research on Vitamin C and cancer and why I was willing to let my mum (and myself – just for health maintenance) give it a go:

1) Early clinical studies showed that high-dose vitamin C, given by intravenous and oral routes, may improve symptoms and prolong life in patients with terminal cancer – 2006, Canadian Medical Association Journal

3 well-documented cases of advanced cancers, confirmed by histopathologic review, where patients had unexpectedly long survival times after receiving high-dose intravenous vitamin C therapy. Clinical details of each case were in accordance with National Cancer Institute (NCI) Best Case Series guidelines. Given tin vitro evidence of anti-tumour mechanisms, these case studies indicate that the role of high-dose intravenous vitamin C therapy in cancer treatment should be reassessed.

Source: Pinterest

2) Ascorbic acid and its pro-oxidant activity as a therapy for tumours of oral cavity — a systematic review. – 2013, Archives of Oral Biology

Basically, what this very *cheem* study is saying is that Vitamin C, at a high dose, exhibits a pro-oxidant activity, which can have cytotoxic effects (kill cancer cells) at pharmacologic (HIGH, not the usual oral dosage) concentrations. In vitro, animal and ex vivo studies of pharmacologic ascorbic acid (AA) have yielded positive results proving vitamin C as an effective cytotoxic agent against oral neoplastic cells with potentially no harming effects on normal cells.

3) Positive effects of high-dose vitamin C against murine tumors. – 2016, Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine

When administered in vitro, high-dose vitamin C demonstrates ability to slow down the growth of murine colon and breast cancer cells, and induced tumor cell apoptosis (cell death). T In vivo, intratumoral delivery of vitamin C delayed tumor growth in murine solid tumor models. Considering its low toxicity and availability, the present study indicates that vitamin C may be a novel therapeutic method for patients with advanced tumors.

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In summary, research on Vitamin C to date do not show harm to humans and a lot of smaller scale research is very encouraging. Because Vitamin C cannot be patented, so I understand why there is lack of funding for large-scale research since the investments cannot be commercialized via a patent. Whether a cancer patient chooses conventional or natural treatments, vitamin C could be a good complement. In fact, it appears that Vitamin C is available in some mainstream hospitals in Japan! Since there is a possibility of improvements and no downsides, that is why I felt it was worth a try!

For more detailed information and research on Vitamin C, I found this informative gpdf from the Dempster Clinic.

The other complementary treatments my mum did: