Recent findings on the mechanism of action and pharmacokinetics of high-dose intravenous vitamin C triggered a renewed interest in its application as an anti-cancer agent. Therefore, several Phase I clinical trials were initiated and the results of one controlled and six uncontrolled trials have been published. Also, eight case studies and five retrospective studies have been reported. Several clinical trials are underway.36While the case series and retrospective studies gave some indications for efficacy, the published clinical trials did not indicate tumour response. Overall, evidence for the non-toxic character of intravenous high-dose vitamin C, limited evidence for improved quality of life, and some suggestion of synergism with certain conventional therapy was offered.Study details can be found in Table 1.Only one controlled clinical trial has been published. In this Phase I/IIa randomized controlled clinical trial, Ma et al. randomized 27 patients with newly diagnosed stage III/IV ovarian cancer to receive either conventional paclitaxel/carboplatin therapy alone (control group), or combined with intravenous vitamin C (treatment group).37 Addition of intravenous high-dose vitamin C was found to reduce toxicities associated with chemotherapy.
Cameron et al. performed three controlled retrospective studies comparing terminal cancer patients receiving vitamin C with historical control patients that had not received vitamin C, and found increased survival times in the vitamin-C-treated groups.11,12,50 The study designs were criticized as they were not randomized nor placebo controlled. Moreover, some patients were treated with oral vitamin C, the treatment period with intravenous vitamin C was only about 10 days, and the doses were rather low.Vollbracht et al. evaluated intravenous vitamin C administration in the first postoperative year of women with breast cancer, in an epidemiological retrospective cohort study, and found that vitamin C resulted in a significant reduction of complaints induced by the disease and chemo- or radiotherapy. Vitamin C was well-tolerated and had no effect on tumour status after 6 or 12 months.51Intravenous vitamin C was well-tolerated in a pilot clinical study in 24 late-stage terminal cancer patients, and one patient had stabilized disease during the trial.38 Noteworthy, applied doses of vitamin C were low.
Several aspects of health-related quality of life were improved after administration of intravenous high-dose vitamin C to 39 terminal cancer patients: i.e., significantly higher scores for physical, role, emotional, and cognitive function, and significantly lower scores for fatigue, nausea/vomiting, pain, and appetite loss.39In a dose-finding Phase I and pharmacokinetics study in 24 patients with advanced cancer or hematologic malignancy refractory to standard therapy, high-dose intravenous vitamin C was found to be safe and free of important toxicity. Patients receiving 0.6 g or more of vitamin C per kg body weight maintained physical quality of life throughout the trial. No patient experienced an objective anti-cancer response.1The combination of intravenous vitamin C with standard treatment of gemcitabine and erlotinib was tested in an open-label, dose-escalating Phase I trial in 14 patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.40 Nine subjects completed the study of which seven patients experienced stable disease.
No increased toxicity was revealed with the addition of vitamin C to gemcitabine and erlotinib.In a Phase I dose-escalation trial in 17 patients with advanced solid tumours not responding to standard therapy, pharmacokinetics of high-dose intravenous vitamin C were determined.2 Vitamin C was generally well tolerated and no objective antitumour responses were observed. The authors recommend a dose of 70 to 80 g/m2 (i.e., around 2 g per kg body weight) for future studies.In a Phase I clinical trial in nine patients with biopsy-proven stage IV pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the concurrent administration of high-dose intravenous vitamin C with gemcitabine was well-tolerated and a suggestion of improved efficacy by vitamin C addition was found.41Analysis of a database from 45 patients with different cancers treated with high-dose intravenous vitamin C by Mikirova et al. taught that this treatment affected levels of C-reactive protein and pro-inflammation cytokines, supporting the hypothesis that inflammation in cancer patients may be reduced by high-dose intravenous vitamin C.52Several case reports on the treatment of advanced cancer patients with high-dose intravenous vitamin C have been published.42-49 Vitamin C infusions were either used as sole treatment or combined with conventional therapy.
Overall, the results indicated lack of toxicity. Also, in several cases tumour regression or even complete remission was observed.Noteworthy, for all the successful case reports, alternative explanations for cancer remission are possible, e.g. spontaneous remission or remission due to the therapy received before intravenous vitamin C was initiated. Moreover, a general weakness of case reports is that they omit the number of patients having received high-dose intravenous vitamin C without any effect. CALL TODAY TO BOOK YOUR DRIP! 480-725-0466 or 1-877-930-DRIP (3747) Weekdays – 10am – 5pm At The Drip Room we provide IV Vitamin Drips for health and wellness in a social environment. We’ve taken a traditional medical treatment and given it a modern twist which we call Dripcraft. Come and check out our vitamin bar for the “cocktails” that are good for you. We’ve got drips, shots, boosters, wellness packages and more. Chat with friends in The Lounge or relax in one of our fabulous massage chairs.
Visit with one of our Dripologists to find your perfect drip. No co-pays, no consult fees and no waiting for appointments! Experience the most effective way to go beyond the basic requirements and reach maximum vitality in about 30 minutes! When you learn about Dripology, you’ll wonder why you didn’t visit us sooner. If you want a jump start to your visit, here are some terms you’ll hear us use: Dripcraft – The exclusive practice of creating our proprietary blend of vitamin drips, booster and b12 shot combinations. Immediate effects of Dripcraft include energy, better sleep and glowing skin. Dripologist – A medical expert specifically and specially trained in IV Vitamin Drips who will guide you through your visit and help you choose the perfect drip. A Dripologist may be a fancy name for our Doctors and Nurses but there is much more to it than that. As leaders in the IV Vitamin Drip World our Dripologist team possess unique and advanced knowledge of Dripcraft and can provide you with the ultimate drip and experience.
Dripology – Through Dripcraft our Dripologists practice Dripology. The in-depth study of IV Vitamin Drips. Vitamin Drips have been helping people since the 1950’s and inspired by John Myers an MD who created The Myers Cocktail. Dripology takes a traditional medical treatment and adds a modern twist. Intravenous (IV) Vitamin Drips deliver vitamins, minerals and amino acids directly to the body for maximum absorption. This allows the nutrients to flood your body and nourish itself at the cellular level. By using this method we can safely deliver larger doses that would not otherwise be tolerated orally. IV vitamin drips can be used both proactively to maintain optimum wellness and also to treat acute and chronic conditions. Our Dripologist can assist in selecting the best drip for your needs. Some of the specific benefits people may experience from Dripology include increased energy, enhanced mood, improved sleep, decreased stress and anxiety, increased immunity, hydration, and muscle recovery.