Treating Cancer with High Dose
(IV or liposomal) Vitamin C, and Vit C as Effective Adjunct Treatment or
Combination Treatment
Documentation of Effectiveness
Curing the Incurable: Vitamin C, Cancer, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins , 3rd Edition Paperback – August 1, 2011; by MD JD Thomas E Levy
He quickly found the medical journals were filled with thousands
of studies and articles about vitamin C. Many of them reported similarly
dramatic results with a myriad of diseases and other difficult medical
conditions. Dr. Levy knew that this was information that all his colleagues
needed. Consequently, he was compelled to spend the next four years researching
and writing
Curing the Incurable
.
vy
has
taken great care to research, document, and report the vital truths about
vitamin C — he cites
over 1,200 scientific references.
Curing the Incurable
provides
the information you need to
most effectively use vitamin C
to:
·
Prevent, cure, reverse and/or greatly
improve a large list of health conditions.
·
Cut your mortality risk (from all
causes) by as much as 50%.
·
Boost your immune system and energy
levels to optimum levels.
Optimize blood and intracellular
levels of vitamin C, & Dramatically increase
bio-availability
(up to 800% or more) without increasing your dose size.
Vitamin C: The Real Story
, the Remarkable and Controversial Healing
Factor- Paperback – October 23, 2015; by
Steve Hickey
PhD,
Andrew W. Saul
PhD
You will see that
mega doses of vitamin C have proven to be an effective antibiotic,
a
nontoxic anticancer agent
,
and also
a treatment
for heart disease.
Hidden
Epidemic: Silent Oral Infections Cause Most Heart Attacks and Breast
Cancers
,
September
2017
.
Stop America's #1 Killer 2nd
ed. Edition by
MD JD Levy
(Author),
MD Julian Whitaker
(Foreword).
( Most
heart
disease is a reversable arterial scurvy)
Anticancer Res.
2019
Feb;39(2):751-758.
doi
:
10.21873/anticanres.13172.
Lee SJ
1,2
,
Jeong
JH
1,3
,
Lee IH
1,2
,
Lee J
1,4
,
Jung JH
1,4
,
Park HY
5,4
,
Lee DH
6
,
Chae YS
5,2
.
The anti-cancer effect of high
doses of intravenous vitamin C (high-dose vitamin C)
remains controversial despite growing evidence that high-dose vitamin
C exerts anti-tumorigenic activity by increasing the amount of reactive
oxygen species in cancer cells without meaningful toxicities.
Therefore, this study attempted to demonstrate the in vitro
anti-cancer activity of high-dose vitamin C in combination with
conventional treatment in breast cancer.
The pro-apoptotic effects of
high-dose vitamin C (1.25 to 20 mM) with or without
anti-cancer agents (
eribulin
mesylate,
tamoxifen,
fulvestrant
, or trastuzumab) were
estimated using an MTT assay to measure the cell viability of a variety of
breast cancer cell lines (MCF7, SK-BR3, and MDA-MB-231), as well as
normal breast epithelial cells (MCF10A).
High-dose vitamin
C (≥10 mM) significantly decreased cell viability of all
breast cancer cell lines, particularly of MCF-7 cells.
The catalase activities of MCF7 and MDA-MD-231 cells were also
lower than those of MCF10A cells. Moreover, cell viability of both MCF7 and
MDA-MD-231 cells was decreased further when combining high-dose vitamin
C and
eribulin
mesylate, and this was
also true for MCF-7 cells when combining high-dose vitamin C with
tamoxifen or
fulvestrant
and for SK-BR3
cells when combining high-dose vitamin C with trastuzumab in
comparison with chemotherapy or endocrine therapy alone.
Combining
high-dose vitamin C with conventional anti-cancer drugs can have
therapeutic advantages against breast cancer cells.
Med Hypotheses.
2019 Jan;122:8-9.
doi
:
10.1016/j.mehy.2018.10.006.
Epub
2018 Oct
11.
Valachová
K
1
,
Juránek
I
2
,
Rapta
P
3
,
Valent I
4
,
Šoltés
L
2
.
Ascorbate
administered intravenously gives a high plasma concentration of this drug.
Clinical trials with pancreatic carcinoma patients revealed their prolonged
survival if treated with intravenous ascorbate. On the other hand,
high plasma ascorbate concentration leads to severe side effects, such as
nephrotoxicity. In the present paper, we advocate to
lower intravenous ascorbate dosage along with monothiol
N-acetylcysteine
pretreatment due to anticipation of the same therapeutic effect but less or
none of side effects
. We describe in detail molecular mechanism of
ascorbate action to be potentiated by N-acetylcysteine, as observed under in vitro
conditions. Providing further arguments, we believe that the same mechanism may
be employed in vivo.
PubMed High
dose Vitamin C & Cancer (hundreds of studies)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=high+dose+vitamin+C+cancer
&
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=high+dose+ascorbate+cancer
&
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=vitamin+c+cancer
Life Sci.
2019
Jul 12:116657.
doi
: 10.1016/j.lfs.2019.116657. [
Epub
ahead of print]
Ryszawy D
1
,
Pudełek M
2
,
Catapano J
2
,
Ciarach M
3
,
Setkowicz Z
3
,
Konduracka E
4
,
Madeja Z
2
,
Czyż J
5
.
Constant
development of chemotherapeutic strategies has considerably improved the efficiency
of tumor treatment. However, adverse effects of chemotherapeutics enforce
premature treatment cessation, which leads to the tumor recurrence and
accelerated death of oncologic patients. Recently, sodium ascorbate (ASC) has
been suggested as a promising drug for the adjunctive chemotherapy of
glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and prostate cancer (PC). To estimate
whether ASC can interfere with tumor recurrence between the first and
second-line chemotherapy, we analyzed the effect of high ASC doses on the
expansion of cells in vitro and in vivo.
Brightfield
microscopy-assisted approaches were used to estimate the effect of ASC
(1-14 mM) on the morphology and invasiveness of human GBM, rat PC and normal
3T3 cells, whereas cytostatic/pro-apoptotic activity of ASC was estimated with
flow cytometry. These assays were complemented by the in vitro
CellROX
-assisted analyses of intracellular oxidative stress
and in vivo estimation of GBM tumor invasion.
ASC
considerably decreased the proliferation and motility of GBM and PC cells. This
effect was accompanied by intracellular ROS over-production and necrotic death
of tumor cells
,
apparently resulting from their "
autoschizis
".
In vivo studies demonstrated the retardation of GBM tumor growth and invasion
in the rats undergone intravenous ASC administration, in the absence
of detectable systemic adverse effects of ASC.
Our
data support previous notions on anti-tumor activity of high ASC doses.
However,
autoschizis
-related
cell responses to ASC indicate that its application in human adjunctive tumor
therapy should be considered with caution.
Nutrients.
2019
Apr 28;11(5).
pii
: E977.
doi
: 10.3390/nu11050977.
The Effect of Vitamin
C (Ascorbic Acid) in the Treatment of Patients with Cancer: A
Systematic Review.
van
Gorkom
GNY
1
,
Lookermans
EL
2
,
Van
Elssen
CHMJ
3
,
Bos GMJ
4
.
Abstract
Many cancer patients
on intensive chemotherapy lack vitamin C. Vitamin C stimulates the
production and activation of immune cells, so perhaps supplementation could be
used to improve the immunity in those patients. This review assesses the
effectiveness and safety of vitamin C administration in cancer.
The PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched and all study designs except for
phase I studies, and case reports were included in this review. A total of 19
trials were included. In only 4 trials randomization was used to determine if
patients received vitamin C or a placebo. The result of this review
does not prove that there is a clinically relevant positive effect
of vitamin C supplementation in cancer patients in general on
the overall survival, clinical status, quality of life (QOL) and performance
status (PS
), since
the quality of the studies
published is low. Interventions and patient groups are very diverse, hence an
effect in some patient groups is possible. There seems to be a
better
effect with intravenous than oral administration.
Nevertheless,
treatment with vitamin C is safe with minimal side effects. Thereby,
we think it is safe to examine the effects of vitamin C on specific
groups of patients in a randomized controlled setting.
Int J Mol Sci.
2018
Sep 13;19(9).
pii
: E2752.
doi
: 10.3390/ijms19092752.
Ascorbic Acid in Colon Cancer: From the Basic to the Clinical Applications.
El
Halabi
I
1
,
Bejjany
R
2
,
Nasr R
3
,
Mukherji D
4
,
Temraz
S
5
,
Nassar FJ
6
,
El
Darsa
H
7
,
Shamseddine
A
8
.
Abstract
Given the safety and potential
benefits of intravenous ascorbic acid (AA) administration
in cancer patients, there is merit in further exploring this
therapeutic concept. In this review, we discuss the potential benefits of intravenous AA
administration on colorectal
cancer
and we
specifically focus on its effect on glycolysis in mutant and wild type
RAS
.
We perform a PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE search using ascorbic
acid, intravenous vitamin C,
KRAS
mutation,
BRAF
mutation
and colorectal cancer (CRC) as keywords. At the cellular level,
colorectal cancer cells undergo a metabolic shift called the Warburg
effect to allow for more glucose absorption and utilization of glycolysis. This
shift also allows AA to enter which leads to a disruption in the Warburg effect
and a shutdown of the downstream
KRAS
pathway
in
mutated
KRAS
colon cancer cells.
At the
clinical level, AA is associated with
tumour
regression
in advanced disease and improved tolerability and side effects of standard
therapy. Based on these findings, we conclude that further clinical trials are
needed on a larger scale to examine the therapeutic benefits of AA in
colon cancer.
Antioxidants (Basel).
2018 Aug
30;7(9).
pii
: E115.
doi
:
10.3390/antiox7090115.
The Use of Intravenous Vitamin C as a Supportive Therapy for a Patient with Glioblastoma Multiforme.
Baillie N
1
,
Carr
AC
2
,
Peng S
3
.
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme is a
high grade
malignant brain
tumour
with
a poor prognosis. Here we report the case of a woman with glioblastoma who
lived for over four years from diagnosis (median survival 12 months and 2%
survival for three years), experiencing good quality of life for most of that
time. She underwent initial debulking craniotomy,
radiotherapy
and chemotherapy, as well as having intravenous vitamin
C infusions 2
⁻
3 times
weekly over the four years from diagnosis. Her progress was monitored by blood
tests, regular
computerisedtomography
(CT) and
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, clinical reviews and European
Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life
questionnaires (EORTC QLQ C30).
Our case report highlights the benefits
of intravenous vitamin C as a supportive therapy for patients
with glioblastoma.
Cancer
Manag
Res.
2018 Jul
13;10:2003
-2018.
doi
: 10.2147/CMAR.S161824.
eCollection
2018.
Evidence-based complementary treatment of pancreatic cancer: a review of adjunct therapies including paricalcitol, hydroxychloroquine, intravenous vitamin C, statins, metformin, curcumin, and aspirin.
Bigelsen
S
1
.
Abstract
Despite new and exciting research and
renewed optimism about future therapy, current statistics of survival from
pancreatic cancer remains dismal. Patients seeking alternative or
complementary treatments should be warned to avoid the hype and instead look to
real science. A variety of relatively safe and inexpensive treatment options
that have shown success in preclinical models and/or retrospective studies are
currently available. Patients require their physicians to provide therapeutic
guidance and assistance in obtaining and administrating these various
therapies. Paricalcitol, an analog of vitamin D, has been shown by researchers
at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies to break though the protective
stroma surrounding tumor cells. Hydroxychloroquine has been shown to inhibit
autophagy, a process by which dying cells recycle injured organelles and
internal toxins to generate needed energy for survival and reproduction.
Intravenous vitamin
C creates a toxic accumulation of hydrogen peroxide within cancer
cells, hastening their death
. Metformin inhibits mitochondrial oxidative
metabolism utilized by cancer stem cells. Statins inhibit not only
cholesterol but also other factors in the same pathway that
affect cancer cell growth, protein synthesis, and cell cycle progression.
A
novel formulation of curcumin may prevent resistance to chemotherapy and
inhibit pancreatic cancer cell proliferation.
Aspirin
therapy has been shown to prevent pancreatic cancer and may be useful
to prevent recurrence. These therapies are all currently available and are
reviewed in this paper with emphasis on the most recent laboratory research and
clinical studies.
Antioxidants (Basel).
2018 Jul
12;7(7).
pii
: E89.
doi
:
10.3390/antiox7070089.
Nauman G
1
,
Gray JC
2
,
Parkinson R
3
,
Levine M
4
,
Paller
CJ
5
.
Ascorbate (vitamin C) has been
evaluated as a potential treatment for cancer as an independent agent
and in combination with standard chemotherapies. This review assesses the
evidence for safety and clinical effectiveness of intravenous (IV)
ascorbate in treating various types of cancer.
Single arm and randomized Phase
I/II trials were included in this review. The PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane
databases were searched. Results were screened by three of the authors (GN, RP,
and CJP) to determine if they met inclusion criteria, and then summarized using
a narrative approach.
A total of 23 trials involving 385
patients met the inclusion criteria. Only one trial, in ovarian cancer,
randomized patients to receive vitamin C or standard of care
(chemotherapy). That trial reported
an 8.75 month increase in
progression-free survival (PFS) and an improved trend in overall survival (OS)
in the vitamin C treated arm
.
Overall
, vitamin C has
been shown to be safe in nearly all patient populations, alone and in
combination with chemotherapies
. The promising results support the need for
randomized placebo-controlled trials such as the ongoing placebo-controlled
trials of vitamin C and chemotherapy in prostate cancer.
NPJ Precis Oncol.
2018 Jan 8;2(1):1.
doi
: 10.1038/s41698-017-0044-8.
eCollection
2018.
Vitamin C preferentially kills cancer stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma via SVCT-2.
Lv
H
#1
,
Wang C
#1,2
,
Fang T
#1
,
Li T
1
,
Lv
G
1,3
,
Han Q
1
,
Yang W
1,3
,
Wang H
1,3,4
.
Abstract
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid,
ascorbate, VC) is a potential chemotherapeutic agent
for cancer patients. However, the anti-tumor effects of pharmacologic
VC on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cancer stem cells
(CSCs) remain to be fully elucidated. Panels of human HCC cell lines as well as
HCC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models were employed to investigate the
anti-tumor effects of pharmacologic VC. The use of VC and the risk of HCC
recurrence were examined retrospectively in 613 HCC patients who received
curative liver resection as their initial treatment. In vitro and in vivo
experiments further demonstrated that clinically achievable concentrations of
VC induced cell death in liver cancer cells and the response to VC
was correlated with sodium-dependent vitamin
Ctransporter
2
(SVCT-2) expressions. Mechanistically, VC uptake via SVCT-2 increased
intracellular ROS, and subsequently caused DNA damage and ATP depletion,
leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Most importantly, SVCT-2 was highly
expressed in liver CSCs, which promoted their self-renewal and rendered them
more sensitive to VC. In HCC cell lines xenograft models, as well as in PDX
models, VC dramatically impaired tumor growth and eradicated liver CSCs.
Finally, retrospective cohort study showed that intravenous VC use
was linked to improved disease-free survival (DFS) in HCC patients (adjusted
HR = 0.622, 95% CI 0.487 to 0.795,
p
< 0.001). Our data
highlight that
pharmacologic VC can effectively kill
liver cancer cells and preferentially eradicate liver CSCs, which
provide further evidence supporting VC as a novel therapeutic strategy for HCC
treatment.
Integr
Cancer
Ther
.
2018
Sep;17(3):912-920.
doi
:
10.1177/1534735418775809.
Epub
2018 May 17.
Bazzan
AJ
1
,
Zabrecky
G
1
,
Wintering N
1
,
Newberg AB
1
,
Monti DA
1
.
Intravenous
ascorbic acid
(IV AA) has been used extensively
in cancer patients throughout the United States. Currently, there are
limited data on the safety and clinical effects of IV AA. The purpose of this
study was to expand the current literature using a retrospective analysis of
adverse events and symptomatic changes of IV AA in a large sample
of cancer patients.
We conducted a retrospective chart
review of all patients receiving IV AA for cancer at the Thomas
Jefferson University Hospital over a 7-year period. We assessed all reports of
adverse events, laboratory findings, and hospital or emergency department
admissions. We also reviewed quality-of-life data, including fatigue, nausea,
pain, appetite, and mood.
There were 86 patients who received
a total of 3034 doses of IV AA ranging from 50 to 150g. In all, 32 patients
received only ascorbic acid as part of
their cancer management (1197 doses), whereas 54 patients
received ascorbic acid in conjunction with chemotherapy (1837 doses).
The most common adverse events related to ascorbic acid were
temporary nausea and discomfort at the injection site. All events reported in
the ascorbic acid alone group were associated with less than 3% of
the total number of infusions.
Patients, overall, reported improvements
in fatigue, pain, and mood while receiving ascorbic acid.
The results of this retrospective
analysis support the growing evidence that
IV AA is generally safe and
well tolerated in patients with
cancer, and
may
be useful in symptom management and improving quality of life.
Anticancer Drugs.
2018
Apr;29(4):373-379.
doi
:
10.1097/CAD.0000000000000603.
Treatment of pancreatic cancer with intravenous vitamin C: a case report.
Drisko
JA
1
,
Serrano OK
2
,
Spruce LR
3
,
Chen Q
4
,
Levine M
5
.
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
(PDA) has a dismal prognosis and is often discovered at an advanced stage with
few therapeutic options. Current conventional regimens for PDA are associated
with significant morbidity, decreased quality of life, and a considerable
financial burden. As a result, some patients turn to integrative medicine
therapies as an alternate option after a diagnosis of
PDA. Intravenous pharmacologic ascorbic acid (PAA) is one
such treatment. The use of PAA has been passionately debated for many years,
but more recent rigorous scientific research has shown that there are
significant blood concentration differences when ascorbic acid is
given parenterally when compared to oral dosing. This pharmacologic difference
appears to be critical for its role in oncology. Here, we report the use of PAA
in a patient with poorly differentiated stage IV PDA as an exclusive
chemotherapeutic regimen. The
patient survived nearly 4 years after
diagnosis, with PAA as his sole treatment, and he achieved objective regression
of his disease.
He died from sepsis and organ failure from a bowel perforation
event. This case illustrates the possibility of PAA to effectively control
tumor progression and serve as an adjunct to standard of care PDA chemotherapy
regimens. Our patient's experience with PAA should be taken into consideration,
along with previous research in cell, animal, and clinical experiments to
design future treatment trials.
Clin Exp Metastasis.
2018
Feb;35(1-2):37-51.
doi
:
10.1007/s10585-018-9876-z.
Epub
2018 Feb 2.
Pharmacologic ascorbate (P- AscH - ) suppresses hypoxia-inducible Factor-1α (HIF-1α) in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Wilkes JG
1,2
,
O'Leary BR
1,2
,
Du J
1,2
,
Klinger AR
1
,
Sibenaller
ZA
1
,
Doskey
CM
1
,
Gibson-Corley KN
3,4
,
Alexander MS
1,2
,
Tsai S
5
,
Buettner GR
1,4
,
Cullen JJ
6,7,8,9,10
.
1
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Iowa Carver
College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA.
2
Department of Surgery, University of Iowa Carver College of
Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA.
3
Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Carver College of
Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA.
4
Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Iowa City, IA, USA.
5
The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
6
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Iowa Carver
College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA. joseph-cullen@uiowa.edu.
7
Department of Surgery, University of Iowa Carver College of
Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA. joseph-cullen@uiowa.edu.
8
Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Iowa City, IA, USA.
joseph-cullen@uiowa.edu.
9
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA, USA.
joseph-cullen@uiowa.edu.
10
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 1528 JCP, 200 Hawkins
Drive, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA. joseph-cullen@uiowa.edu.
Abstract
HIF-1α is a transcriptional
regulator that functions in the adaptation of cells to hypoxic conditions; it
strongly impacts the prognosis of patients with cancer. High-dose, intravenous,
pharmacological ascorbate (P-
AscH
-
),
induces cytotoxicity and oxidative stress selectively in cancer cells
by acting as a pro-drug for the delivery of hydrogen peroxide (H
2
O
2
);
early clinical data suggest improved survival and inhibition of metastasis in
patients being actively treated with P-
AscH
-
.
Previous studies have demonstrated that activation of HIF-1α is necessary for
P-
AscH
-
sensitivity. We hypothesized
that
pancreatic cancer (PDAC) progression and metastasis
could be
be
targeted by P-
AscH
-
via H
2
O
2
-mediated inhibition of HIF-1α
stabilization. Our study demonstrates an oxygen- and prolyl
hydroxylase-independent regulation of HIF-1α by P-
AscH
-
.
Additionally
, P-
AscH
-
decreased VEGF secretion in a
dose-dependent manner that was reversible with catalase, consistent with an H
2
O
2
-mediated
mechanism.
Pharmacological
and genetic manipulations of HIF-1α did not alter P-
AscH
-
-induced
cytotoxicity. In vivo,
P-
AscH
-
inhibited
tumor growth and VEGF expression.
We conclude that P-
AscH
-
suppresses the levels of HIF-1α
protein in hypoxic conditions through a post-translational mechanism. These
findings suggest potential new therapies specifically designed to inhibit the
mechanisms that drive metastases as a part of PDAC treatment.
Leuk Res.
2018
Mar;66:1
-7.
doi
:
10.1016/j.leukres.2017.12.009.
Epub
2018
Jan 2.
Zhao H
1
,
Zhu H
2
,
Huang J
3
,
Zhu Y
2
,
Hong M
2
,
Zhu H
2
,
Zhang J
3
,
Li S
3
,
Yang L
3
,
Lian Y
3
,
Wang S
2
,
Mao J
3
,
Chen Y
2
,
Li J
2
,
Qian S
4
.
Decitabine is widely used in the
treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in elderly patients.
Low-dose Vitamin C has also been indicated to induce DNA
demethylation at the cellular level. However, little is known whether
low-dose Vitamin C has a synergistic effect with decitabine in
clinic.
The effect of combined
low-dose Vitamin C and decitabine on cell proliferation, the cell
cycle, apoptosis and the expression level and activity of TET2 was investigated
in HL60 and NB4 human leukemic cells. Additionally, we analyzed the clinical
outcomes of 73 elderly AML patients who received A-DCAG
(intravenous Vitamin C [IVC] plus DCAG [n = 39]) or DCAG (n = 34)
treatment.
We found that low-dose Vitamin
C and decitabine has a synergistic efficacy on proliferation, apoptosis,
TET2 expression and activity, compared to drug-alone treatment in HL60 and NB4
cell lines in vitro. In clinic, feasibility and safety evaluations revealed
that patients who received A-DCAG regimen have a higher complete remission (CR)
rate than those who received the DCAG regimen (79.92% vs. 44.11%; P = 0.004)
after one cycle of chemotherapy. The median overall survival (OS) was better in
the A-DCAG group compared with the DCAG group (15.3 months vs. 9.3 months,
P = 0.039). Patients with adverse cytogenetics did benefit from CR. There was
no clinically significant additional toxicity observed with the addition of
IVC.
On the basis of
these results
, the addition of IVC at low doses to DCAG
appeared to improve CR and prolong OS, compared with DCAG, in elderly patients
with AML.
Integr
Cancer
Ther
.
2018 Sep;17(3):986-993.
doi
:
10.1177/1534735417747984.
Epub
2017 Dec 19.
The Long-Term Survival of a Patient With Stage IV Renal Cell Carcinoma Following an Integrative Treatment Approach Including the Intravenous α-Lipoic Acid/Low-Dose Naltrexone Protocol.
Berkson
BM
1,2
,
Calvo
Riera
F
3
.
Abstract
In this case report, we describe
the treatment of a 64-year-old male patient diagnosed with metastatic renal
cell carcinoma (RCC) in June of 2008.
In spite of
a
left nephrectomy and the standard oncological protocols, the patient developed
a solitary left lung metastasis that continued to grow. He was informed that
given his diagnosis and poor response to conventional therapy, any further
treatment would, at best, be palliative. The patient arrived at the Integrative
Medical Center of New Mexico in August of 2010. He was in very poor health,
weak, and cachectic. An integrative program-developed by one of the authors
using intravenous (IV) α-lipoic acid, IV vitamin C,
low-dose naltrexone, and
hydroxycitrate
, and a
healthy
life style
program-was initiated. From August
2010 to August 2015, the patient's RCC with left lung metastasis was followed
closely using computed tomography and positron emission tomography/computed
tomography imaging. His most recent positron emission tomography scan
demonstrated no residual increased glucose uptake in his left lung. After only
a few treatments of IV α-lipoic acid and IV vitamin C, his
symptoms began to improve, and the patient regained his baseline weight. His
energy and outlook improved, and he returned to work. The patient had stable
disease
with disappearance of the signs and symptoms of stage IV RCC, a
full 9 years following diagnosis, with a gentle integrative program, which is
essentially free of side effects.
As of
November
2017
the
patient feels well and is working at his full-time
job.
Sci Rep.
2017 Dec 7;7(1):17188.
doi
:
10.1038/s41598-017-17568-8.
Polireddy
K
1,2
,
Dong R
1,2
,
Reed G
1
,
Yu J
1,2
,
Chen P
1,2
,
Williamson S
3
,
Violet PC
4
,
Pessetto
Z
5
,
Godwin AK
5
,
Fan F
5
,
Levine M
4
,
Drisko
JA
6
,
Chen Q
7,8
.
Pancreatic cancer is among
the most lethal cancers with poorly tolerated treatments. There is increasing
interest in using high-dose intravenous ascorbate (IVC) in treating
this disease partially because of its low toxicity. IVC bypasses
bioavailability barriers of oral ingestion, provides pharmacological
concentrations in tissues, and exhibits selective cytotoxic effects
in cancer cells through peroxide formation. Here, we further revealed
its anti-pancreatic cancer mechanisms and conducted a phase I/
IIa
study to investigate pharmacokinetic interaction
between IVC and gemcitabine. Pharmacological ascorbate induced cell death in
pancreatic cancer cells with diverse mutational backgrounds.
Pharmacological ascorbate depleted cellular NAD+ preferentially in cancer cells
versus normal cells, leading to depletion of ATP and robustly increased
α-tubulin acetylation in cancer cells. While ATP depletion led to
cell death, over-acetylated tubulin led to inhibition of motility and mitosis.
Collagen was increased, and
cancer cell epithelial-mesenchymal
transition (EMT) was inhibited,
accompanied with inhibition in
metastasis.
IVC was safe in patients and showed the possibility to
prolong patient survival. There was no interference to gemcitabine
pharmacokinetics by IVC administration. Taken together, these data revealed a
multi-targeting mechanism of pharmacological ascorbate's
anti-cancer action, with minimal toxicity, and provided guidance to design
larger definitive trials testing efficacy of IVC in treating advanced
pancreatic cancer.
Altern
Ther
Health Med.
2019 Mar;25(2):42-45.
Monti DA
,
Bazzan
AJ
,
Zabrecky
G
,
Newberg AB
.
Intravenous
ascorbic acid
(IVAA) has been used extensively as
part of the management plan for
cancerpatients
in
various medical clinics throughout the United States. The current research team
has evaluated its effectiveness in patients with cancer as part of an
ongoing research program. However, no data are available that support the
chemical stability of intravenously injectable ascorbic acid (AA) to
ensure its safety and efficacy in that patient population. Its clinical use as
well as its use in research conducted in US Food and Drug
Administration-approved clinical trials require validation of its stability.
The study intended to evaluate the
chemical stability of the compounded IVAA that it prepares.
The research team conducted a
stability analysis within a 6-h period, a period longer than the time required
for most infusions, which typically take approximately 2 h. The study evaluated
the stability of AA intravenous sets, which are compounded solutions
for clinical or hospital use. The IVAA was prepared in sterile water, together
with magnesium chloride (
MgCl
) and calcium gluconate
(
CaGluc
) as buffers.
The study took place at the Marcus
Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia,
PA, USA).
The study was performed for 2
dosages of an infusion set: 75 g and 100 g of IVAA. Interval testing included
pH, particulate matter by light obscuration, and high-performance liquid
chromatography assay. Analyses were performed at baseline and at 2-, 4-, and
6-h test intervals.
The results demonstrated that IVAA remained
highly stable throughout the 6-h period. It also passed the US Pharmacopeia's
criteria for pH and particulates when used with a 0.2 µ filter.
These data suggest that
IVAA,
when prepared with sterile water, in addition to
MgCl
and
CaGluc
, is highly stable and safe to use in patients for up
to 6 h after preparation.
Biochem
Biophys
Rep.
2017 Apr
22;10:232
-236.
doi
: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2017.04.014.
eCollection
2017
Jul.
2- O -α-D-Glucopyranosyl-l-ascorbic acid as an antitumor agent for infusion therapy.
Abstract
Ascorbic acid (AA) has been
reported as a treatment
for cancer patients. Intravenous (iv)
administration
of high-dose AA increases plasma AA levels to pharmacologic concentrations and
generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) to exert anti-tumor activity via
enhancement of oxidative stress
. However, AA is very unstable in aqueous
solutions
and it is impossible to preserve AA for a long
period in a solution. 2-
O
-α-D-Glucopyranosyl-l-ascorbic
acid (AA-2G), which is a glucoside derivative of AA, has been found to
exhibit much higher stability than AA in aqueous solutions and it
shows vitamin C activity after enzymatic hydrolysis to AA. To
evaluate the effectiveness of AA-2G for cancer treatment, we examined the
antitumor activity of AA-2G to murine colon carcinoma (colon-26) cells and in
tumor-bearing mice. AA-2G did not show cytotoxicity to colon-26 cells, whereas
AA exhibited a significant cytotoxic effect in a concentration-dependent
manner. In colon-26 tumor-bearing mice, iv administration of high-dose AA-2G as
well as that of AA significantly inhibited tumor growth. Experiments on the
biodistribution and clearance of AA-2G in tumor-bearing mice showed that AA-2G
was rapidly hydrolyzed to AA and exhibited significant antitumor activity.
Treatment of tumor-bearing mice with AA-2G tended to increase plasma
malondialdehyde level.
These results indicated that the antitumor
activity of AA-2G was caused by ROS generated by AA released by rapid
hydrolysis of AA-2G.
Exp
Ther
Med.
2016 Nov;12(5):3058-3062.
Epub
2016
Sep 16.
In vitro and in vivo assessment of high-dose vitamin C against murine tumors.
Wang G
1
,
Yin T
1
,
Wang Y
1
.
Abstract
Vitamin C is widely used in
clinical settings and is well known for its safety. Previous studies have shown
the efficacy of intravenous vitamin C; however,
intratumoral
delivery of vitamin C has yet
to be attempted. In the present study, the biological effects of
high-dose vitamin C on tumor cells were investigated
in vitro
by
using the MTT assay and flow cytometry. When administered
in vitro
,
high-dose vitamin
C inhibited the proliferation of murine colon and
breast cancer cells, and induced tumor cell apoptosis
.
Cytotoxicity
of vitamin C was partially reversed by N-
acetyl-cysteine
at a relatively low dosage. In addition, synergistic anti-tumor effects
of vitamin C and cisplatin were observed.
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.
chemotherapy drug cisplatin
Pain Res
Manag
.
2016;2016:9147279.
Epub
2016
Oct 30.
Effect of Intravenous High Dose Vitamin C on Postoperative Pain and Morphine Use after Laparoscopic Colectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Jeon Y
1
,
Park JS
2
,
Moon S
3
,
Yeo J
4
.
Abstract
Background and Objective
. Vitamin C has antioxidant, neuroprotective, and neuromodulating
effects. Recently, it showed antinociceptive effect
as a
result of
the antioxidant properties. Therefore, we designed this study
to assess the effect of intravenous vitamin C on opiate
consumption and pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy.
Methods
.
A total of 100 patients were enrolled and allocated to receive
50 mg/kg vitamin C or placebo by
intravenousinfusion
immediately
after induction of anesthesia. Morphine consumption and scores of
painwere
assessed at 2, 6, and 24 h after completion of
surgery.
Results
. There were 97 patients included in the analysis.
Patients who received vitamin C had higher plasma concentrations
of vitamin C at the end of surgery, significantly lower morphine
consumption at the 2 h after end of surgery, and significantly lower pain
scores at rest during first 24 h postoperatively. There was no significant
difference between groups in side effects, fatigue score, or pain score during
cough.
Conclusion
. This study shows
high dose vitamin
C infusion decreased postoperative pain during the first 24 h and reduced
morphine consumption in the early postoperative period.
Additional
research needed to examine whether higher doses of vitamin C and
longer infusion times can amplify these effects.
Redox Biol.
2016
Dec;10:274
-284.
doi
:
10.1016/j.redox.2016.10.010.
Epub
2016 Oct
28.
Tumor cells have decreased ability to metabolize H 2 O 2 : Implications for pharmacological ascorbate in cancer therapy.
Doskey
CM
1
,
Buranasudja
V
1
,
Wagner BA
2
,
Wilkes JG
3
,
Du J
3
,
Cullen JJ
4
,
Buettner GR
5
.
Abstract
Ascorbate (
AscH
-
)
functions as a versatile reducing agent. At pharmacological doses (P-
AscH
-
; [plasma
AscH
-
]
≥≈20mM), achievable through intravenous delivery,
oxidation
of P-
AscH
-
can produce a high flux of H
2
O
2
in tumors.
Catalase is the major enzyme for
detoxifying high concentrations of H
2
O
2
. We hypothesize
that sensitivity of tumor cells to P-
AscH
-
compared to normal cells is due to
their
lower capacity to metabolize H
2
O
2
. Rate
constants for removal of H
2
O
2
(
k
cell
)
and catalase activities were determined for 15 tumor and 10 normal cell lines
of various tissue types. A differential in the capacity of cells to remove H
2
O
2
was revealed, with the
average
k
cell
for normal cells being twice that of
tumor cells.
The ED
50
(50%
clonogenicsurvival
) of P-
AscH
-
correlated directly with
k
cell
and
catalase activity.
Catalase activity could present a promising
indicator of which tumors may respond to P-
AscH
-
.
Am J Case Rep.
2016 Oct
24;17:774
-781.
High-Dose Intravenous Vitamin C Treatment of a Child with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and Optic Pathway Glioma: A Case Report.
Mikirova
N
1
,
Hunnunghake
R
2
,
Scimeca
RC
1
,
Chinshaw
C
3
,
Ali F
3
,
Brannon C
2
,
Riordan N
4
.
Abstract
BACKGROUND In neurofibromatosis
type 1 (NF1) disease, the loss of the tumor suppressor function of the
neurofibromin gene leads to proliferation of neural tumors. In children, the
most frequently identified tumor is the optic pathway glioma. CASE REPORT We
describe the case of a 5-year-old child who was diagnosed with NF1 and optic
pathway tumor onset at the age of 14 months. Because of the tumor progression,
chemotherapy with carboplatin and vincristine was prescribed at this early age
and continued for one year. As the progression of disease continued after
chemotherapy, the child, at the age of 2.8 years, was started on
high-dose intravenous vitamin C (IVC) treatment (7-15 grams per
week) for 30 months.
After 30 months, the results of IVC treatments
demonstrated reduction and stabilization of the tumors in the optic chiasm,
hypothalamus, and left optic nerve according to radiographic imaging. The
right-sided optic nerve mass seen before IVC treatment disappeared by the end
of the treatment
. CONCLUSIONS This case highlights
the positive
effects of treating NF1 glioma with IVC
. Additional studies are necessary
to evaluate the role of high-dose IVC in glioma treatment.
Free
Radic
Biol Med.
2016
Oct;99:451
-462.
doi
: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2016.08.027.
Epub
2016 Aug 24.
Pharmacokinetic and anti-cancer properties of high dose ascorbate in solid tumours of ascorbate-dependent mice.
Campbell EJ
1
,
Vissers
MCM
2
,
Wohlrab
C
1
,
Hicks KO
3
,
Strother RM
4
,
Bozonet
SM
2
,
Robinson BA
5
,
Dachs
GU
6
.
Abstract
Despite recent evidence for an
anti-
tumour
role for high-dose ascorbate,
potential mechanisms of action are still unclear. At mM concentrations that are
achieved with high-dose intravenous administration, autoxidation of
ascorbate can generate cytotoxic levels of H
2
O
2
.
Ascorbate is also a required co-factor for the hydroxylases that suppress the
transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1). HIF-1 supports an
aggressive
tumour
phenotype and is
associated with poor prognosis, and previous studies have shown that optimizing
intracellular ascorbate levels down-regulates HIF-1 activation. In this study
we have simultaneously measured ascorbate concentrations and the HIF-1 pathway
activity in
tumour
tissue following high
dose ascorbate
administration, and
have
studied
tumour
growth and
physiology. Gulo
-/-
mice, a model of the human ascorbate dependency condition, were
implanted with syngeneic
Lewis
lung
tumours
, 1g/kg ascorbate was administered into the
peritoneum, and ascorbate concentrations were monitored in plasma, liver
and
tumours
. Ascorbate levels peaked within
30min, and although plasma and liver ascorbate returned to baseline within
16h,
tumour
levels remained elevated for
48h, possibly reflecting increased stability in the hypoxic
tumour
environment. The expression of HIF-1 and its
target proteins was down-regulated with
tumour
ascorbate
uptake. Elevated
tumour
ascorbate levels
could be maintained with daily administration, and HIF-1 and vascular
endothelial growth factor protein levels were reduced in these
conditions.
Increased
tumour
ascorbate
was associated with slowed
tumour
growth,
reduced
tumour
microvessel
density
and decreased hypoxia.
Alternate day administration of ascorbate
resulted in lower
tumour
levels and did not
consistently decrease HIF-1 pathway activity. Levels of
sodium-dependent vitamin C transporters 1 and 2 were not clearly
associated with ascorbate accumulation by murine
tumour
cells
in vitro or in vivo. Our
results support the suppression of the hypoxic
response by ascorbate as a plausible mechanism of action of its anti-
tumour
activity,
and this may be useful in a
clinical setting.
Med Sci
Monit
.
2016 Jan 3;22:14-25.
Mikirova
N
1
,
Riordan N
2
,
Casciari
J
3
.
Cytokines play an important role in
tumor angiogenesis and inflammation. There is evidence in the literature that
high doses of ascorbate can reduce inflammatory cytokine levels
in cancer patients. The objective of this study was to investigate
the effect of treatment by intravenous vitamin C (IVC) on
cytokines and tumor markers.
With the availability of protein
array kits allowing assessment of many cytokines in a single sample, we
measured 174 cytokines and additional 54 proteins and tumor markers in
12 cancer patients before and after a series of IVC treatments.
Presented results show
for
our 12 patients the effect of treatment resulted in normalization of many
cytokine levels.
Cytokines that were most consistently elevated prior
to treatments included M-CSF-R, Leptin, EGF, FGF-6, TNF-α, β, TARC, MCP-1,4,
MIP, IL-4, 10, IL-4, and TGF-β. Cytokine levels tended to decrease
during the course of
treatment. These include mitogens (EGF,
Fit-3 ligand, HGF, IGF-1, IL-21R) and chemo-attractants (CTAC,
Eotaxin
, E-selectin, Lymphotactin, MIP-1, MCP-1, TARC,
SDF-1), as well as inflammation and angiogenesis factors (FGF-6, IL-1β, TGF-1).
We are able to show that
av.erage
z-scores for several
inflammatory and angiogenesis promoting cytokines are positive, indicating that
they are higher than averages for healthy controls, and that
their
levels decreased over the course of treatment.
In addition,
serum
concentrations of tumor markers decreased during the
time
period
of IVC treatment and there were reductions in
cMyc
and Ras, 2 proteins implicated in being
upregulated in cancer.
Integr
Cancer
Ther
.
2016
Jun;15(2):197-204.
doi
: 10.1177/1534735415622010.
Epub
2015 Dec 17.
Raymond YC
1
,
Glenda CS
2
,
Meng LK
3
.
Introduction Intravenous high-dose vitamin
C therapy is widely used in naturopathic and integrative oncology;
however, a study reviewing its effects has never been performed in Singapore.
This article serves to document administration of supportive vitamin
C therapy for cancer patients in Singapore.
The clinical response of
9 cancer patients of differing stages to the regular administration
of large doses (25-100 g/d) of intravenous vitamin C (IVC; ascorbic
acid) is outlined. Tumor pathology and patient health were verified by doctors
who do not practice vitamin C treatment.
Cases suggesting survival
beyond prognosis, improvement in quality of life, safe coadministration with
and improved tolerance of conventional therapy, and deterioration in clinical
condition following withdrawal of vitamin C therapy are documented
clinically
. Some patients experience the
Jarisch-Herxheimer
reaction-the release of endotoxin
from microorganism death resulting in pimples, fever, and body odor-for a few
hours after the therapy, but these are resolved quickly with no lasting
effects.
Randomized trials of IVC therapy
are recommended because it
has minimal side effects and has shown
promising results.
Curing the Incurable: Vitamin C,
Infectious Diseases, and Toxins, 3rd Edition Paperback – August 1,
2011; by
MD JD Thomas E Levy
He quickly found the medical journals were filled with thousands of
studies and articles about vitamin C. Many of them reported similarly dramatic
results with a myriad of diseases and other difficult medical conditions. Dr.
Levy knew that this was information that all his colleagues needed.
Consequently, he was compelled to spend the next four years researching and
writing
Curing the Incurable
.
vy
has
taken great care to research, document, and report the vital truths about
vitamin C — he cites over 1,200 scientific references.
Curing the Incurable
provides the information
you need to
most effectively use vitamin C
to:
·
Prevent, cure, reverse and/or greatly improve a large list of
health conditions.
·
Cut your mortality risk (from all causes) by as much as 50%.
·
Boost your immune system and energy levels to optimum levels.
Optimize blood and intracellular levels of vitamin C, &
Dramatically increase
bio-availability
(up to 800% or
more) without increasing your dose size.
Vitamin C: The Real Story, the Remarkable
and Controversial Healing Factor Paperback – October 23,
2015; by
Steve Hickey
PhD,
Andrew W. Saul
PhD
You will see
that mega doses of vitamin C have proven to be an effective antibiotic, a
nontoxic anticancer agent,
and also
a treatment for
heart disease.
Hidden Epidemic: Silent Oral
Infections Cause Most Heart Attacks and Breast Cancers
, was published in September of 2017.
Stop America's #1 Killer 2nd
ed. Edition by
MD JD Levy
(Author),
MD Julian Whitaker
(Foreword).
( Most
heart
disease is a reversable arterial scurvy)
by
Robert
Kulacz
(Author),
MD JD Levy
(Author); foreword by Boyd Haley
Phd
What You Need to
Know Before Undergoing a Root Canal Undergoing a root canal procedure isn't
anyone's idea of a good time, but if one is necessary, we don't question its
safety. According to Robert
Kulacz
, DDS and
Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD, we should. Here, they reveal the hidden dangers of root
canals. Nobody looks forward to having a root canal. But if you're in constant
discomfort because of an infected tooth, you'll willingly hop into the
dentist's chair and open wide. Sure, you might worry about feeling pain during
the procedure (or paying for it afterward), but beyond those concerns, there's
really no reason to worry about undergoing this common outpatient procedure,
right? Wrong. Robert
Kulacz
, DDS and Thomas E.
Levy, MD, JD, say that a root canal is
actually a
scientifically flawed and potentially dangerous procedure. "Instead of
solving a problem, root canals introduce a steady stream of dangerous-and even
deadly-toxins into your body," says Dr. Levy, co-author along with
Dr.
Kulacz
of The Toxic Tooth: How a root
canal could be making you sick. "Root canal-treated teeth are not sterile
and contain pathogenic bacteria, which spread throughout the body and can
initiate or worsen heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and
even cancer."