Vitamin C

[gdpawel]

It is suspected that vitamin C is good for normal tissue because it protects the mitochondria and extends cell life. However, that's not what you want in cancer cells, where you want cell death to be speeded up so the tumor shrinks. In other words, vitamin C appears to protect the mitochondria from extensive damage, thus saving the cell. All anticancer drugs work, directly or indirectly, to disrupt the mitochondria to push cell death (Cancer Res 2008;68(19):8031–8).

However, vitamin C can impede the growth of some types of tumors, although not in the way some scientists had suspected. New research, published in the journal Cancer Cell, supported the general notion that vitamin C and other antioxidants can slow tumor growth, but at a mechanism different from the one many experts had suspected (undermining a tumor's ability to grow under certain conditions).

Earlier studies were conducted with vitamin C "supplements" administered orally and did not demonstrate a clinical benefit to cancer patients. Newer studies, are being conducted with "intravenous" vitamin C as a cancer treatment and may lend credence to alternate cancer care.

New research with mice suggests that intravenous doses of vitamin C could reduce the size of cancerous tumors in people. It would likely be used in combination with other drugs. In other words, vitamin C will be used as a drug, not as a nutrient. The findings must be confirmed in humans.

The first phase of trials are being performed to determine the optimal dose for the patients and to learn whether the treatment is safe and can be tolerated. Additional studies over several years will be needed to demonstrate whether it is effective.

It's ironic, clinical trials are proceeding only with patients who have exhausted all other conventional treatment options, instead of enrolling anyone who would want to enroll.