By Dr. David Denis ND
The use of vitamin C for the treatment of cancer has been an issue in the medical community and in the media since the 1970’s. In the 1970’s two researchers named Ewan Cameron and Allan Campbell along with the help of Linus Pauling published studies showing that vitamin C increased quality of life and elongated life. These studies were criticized because they were retrospective case studies (meaning there was no control group and no blinding). Charles Moertel conducted two double blind placebo controlled studies in response, using the same dose Cameron and company used, and found no effect. The medical community and the media concluded that vitamin C was not effective for the treatment of cancer. This was the end of the story…
Until the year 2000 when researchers at NIH decided to reevaluate vitamin C as a treatment for cancer. This happened as a result of new studies looking at vitamin requirements in humans. What was discovered is that vitamin C is very tightly regulated in the human body. Plasma and tissue concentrations of vitamin C are controlled through intestinal absorption, tissue accumulation, and kidney re-absorption and excretion. It was then discovered that these tight controls could be partially bypassed by administering vitamin C intravenously (directly administering vitamin C into the bloodstream through the use of a needle or catheter).
With a new understanding of how IV(intravenous) vitamin C results in an increased plasma concentration of 70-100 fold compared to oral dosing, NIH investigators realized that something was missed by Moertel when he studied vitamin C in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Moertel only used oral dosing of vitamin C whereas Cameron had used both oral and IV dosing. Several studies have since been conducted using IV doses of vitamin C. It has now been shown in animal studies (cancerous tumors implanted in mice) that IV vitamin C effectively decreases tumor size in several cancer cell lines. A possible mechanism has been studied:
- Vitamin C through intravenous administration achieves very high plasma concentrations
- Vitamin C leave the bloodstream and floods the extra-cellular space (the space outside of our cells but also out of our bloodstream)
- Here vitamin C converts to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
- H2O2 enters into cancer cells, and acting as an oxidant causes them to burst (apoptosis, or cell death)
- H2O2 is rendered harmless when it enters normal cells by an enzyme called catalase which is often deficient in cancer cells.
So where does vitamin C stand today? It still is widely unaccepted as a cancer treatment in the mainstream medical community. What we lack are well designed double blind placebo controlled trials using the appropriate dose of vitamin C administered intravenously. I have heard that some are underway but no data has yet to be published. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence, which simply means that there have been naturopathic doctors and some medical doctors using IV vitamin C for 10-15 years in the field. What I have seen in my practice, and have heard from my colleagues, is that IV vitamin C can be a helpful treatment for those suffering from cancer. Ultimately we will not know for sure until some good clinical data is published, but until then IV vitamin C can be a complementary or alternative treatment for cancer which can be helpful especially for those situations where conventional medicine has very little to offer.
In my practice, IV vitamin C is a potent anti-cancer therapy that I can offer to my patients. This therapy can be used alone, or at the same time as traditional treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. I am open and up front about the state of evidence supporting it. I use it as one part of a comprehensive naturopathic treatment plan which includes diet, herbal medicine, and mindfulness based psychotherapy for a whole mind-body approach to healing.
Here are some references:
Cameron, E.; Campbell, A.; Jack, T. The orthomolecular treatment of cancer. III.Reticulum cell sarcoma: double complete regression induced by high-doseascorbic acid therapy. Chem. Biol. Interact. 11:387–393; 1975