Survival of pancreatic cancer patients doubled with high dose of common vitamin, study finds

High doses of vitamin C may be a breakthrough in cancer treatment.

The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine has shared results from a randomized, phase 2 trial testing the impact of adding high-dose vitamin C to intravenous chemotherapy treatments for pancreatic cancer patients.

Researchers found that administering 75 grams of vitamin C three times a week doubled the overall survival rates of patients with late-stage metastatic pancreatic cancer, from eight months to 16 months.

The study, published in the journal Redox Biology, also found that progression-free survival was extended from four to six months.

Lead researcher Joseph Cullen, MD, professor of surgery and radiation oncology at the University of Iowa, shared in an interview with Fox News Digital that the “groundbreaking” findings are the result of 20 years of vitamin C research.

After testing vitamin C in the lab, the Iowa researchers found that using much higher doses of vitamin C “worked great” at killing cancer cells.

“we found that at these high doses, ascorbate [vitamin C] it actually generates hydrogen peroxide,” Cullen said. “And hydrogen peroxide is what kills cancer cells.”

According to the researcher, patients who received vitamin C in phase 2 of the FDA-approved trial also appeared to “tolerate better the chemotherapy they were given.”

“Therefore, they received more chemotherapy for longer periods of time and higher doses of chemotherapy, which would also kill the tumor cells,” he added.

Intravenous vitamin C may also help fight other types of cancer, according to Cullen, who noted that his colleagues are looking into treating lung and brain cancer.

Dr. Georgios Georgakis, a surgical oncologist at Stony Brook Medicine in New York, noted that these findings could be “potentially a breakthrough” for cancer patients.

“She it appears to be working synergistically with chemotherapy,” Georgakis, who was not involved in the study, said in a separate conversation with Fox News Digital.

Dr. Joshua Strauss, a hematologist and attending medical oncologist at Atlantic Medical Group’s Advanced Care Oncology and Hematology Associates in Morristown, New Jersey, also expressed his support for the method.

“Small clinical trials like this have recently provided exciting and consistent signals that vitamin C, which is inexpensive and well tolerated, can improve the efficacy of chemotherapy with a good quality of life,” the oncologist, who also was not involved in this new research, said a statement sent to Fox News Digital.

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is an “essential dietary nutrient” found in foods as diverse as citrus fruits, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, strawberries, cabbage and spinach, according to Strauss.

Georgakis noted that vitamin C can help with tissue growth and repair, collagen production, wound healing, bone and skin health, and immune support.

In lower doses, vitamin C acts as an antioxidant. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends taking 75 mg to 90 mg per day.

Once the body has received enough vitamin C, any excess is excreted through the kidneys and will not be absorbed, Cullen pointed out.

But once the dose increases to much higher levels, like 75 grams, it acts as a pro-oxidant.

“So it actually makes these reactive oxygen species good at killing cancer cells,” he said.

According to Cullen, it would take support from a pharmaceutical company to support what would be a “multi-million dollar” phase 3 trial to continue the research.

For now, he suggests that cancer patients interested in exploring IV vitamin C should talk to their oncologist and seek out professionals who can administer it.

Strauss applauded the researchers and the National Cancer Institute for their efforts, noting that he read the results with “cautious optimism.”

“Pancreatic cancer can be extremely difficult to treat, and I feel hopeful every time I read positive results from a phase 2 study,” he continued. “However, the study has some limitations and the results should be interpreted with caution.”

Strauss and the study authors acknowledged some of these limitations, including the small sample size of 34 patients and the lack of diversity.

“Larger randomized phase 3 trials are needed to confirm the results before this can be approved for widespread clinical use,” Strauss told Fox News Digital.

Georgakis agreed that although the trial had a “very good result”, it is “not the gold bullet for cancer treatment”.

“However, this is exactly what we need – incremental, good results in our fight against cancer,” he said.