HIGH DOSE VITAMIN C INTRAVENOUS THERAPY FOR CANCER

*Sunaina Anand, Anish Desai and Shreya A. Jog

ABSTRACT

Several studies have found vitamin C or Ascorbic acid therapy effective to treat cancer of lungs, liver, pancreas, ovaries, mesothelioma, sarcoma, prostate. Cancer cells are unable to grow at high vitamin C concentration and possibly it may cause tumour shrinkage. It is shown to have number of benefits in reducing cholesterol, neutralises free radicals, promotes collagen, breakdown of histamine, reduces risk of premature death etc. There are several pathways like epigenetic, antioxidant, chemopreventive, immunologic, collagen, and “adjuvant” anticancer effect that vitamin C undergoes during cancer treatment. Parenteral transfusion of vitamin C is believed to be selective as cancer cells have a low level of antioxidant enzyme like catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase than normal cells. In the cytosole dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) is converted to vitamin C that depletes glutathione (GSH) and causes redox imbalance and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress triggers a cascade of processes that include glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) inactivation, glycolysis inhibition, and energy crisis, all of which culminate in cancer cell death. Vitamin C combined with chemotherapy perquisites in enhancement of chemotherapy, low toxicity, suppress tumour, and improve quality of life. Ascorbic acid is contraindicated in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and hemochromatosis. Clinical trials have shown that ascorbic acid is well tolerated with conventional anti-cancer drugs, reduces anti-cancer drug related toxicity. High-dose vitamin C increases radiosensitivity of glioblastoma multiforme cells, causing more cell death as compared to radiation.

Keywords: epigenetic, antioxidant, chemopreventive, immunologic, collagen, and “adjuvant”.