Improve the wellbeing of your entire family, not just the patient. Parents, siblings and other family members can be equally devastated by a cancer diagnosis as the patient, and our holistic and psychological treatments seek to improve the mental and physical health of the entire family, improving the quality of life for all.
Learn MoreAt Wellbeing Medical Group, we excel in integrative oncology, seamlessly combining your conventional cancer treatment with our Intravenous Infusion Therapies or independently as a result of limited to none medical options. With over six years of specialized experience in cancer care, our commitment is to your wellbeing. Contact us to discover how we can support you on your journey.
The Use of High Dose Vitamin C IV Infusion Therapy in Cancer Care
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) IV infusion therapy has become an important adjunct in complementary cancer care. At high doses, vitamin C undergoes a transformation within the body, acting as a pro-oxidant. This shift plays a crucial role in cancer treatment by enhancing oxidative stress within cancer cells, leading to cellular damage and promoting cancer cell death. Unlike its typical role as an antioxidant, high-dose vitamin C can selectively target and damage cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unaffected. The effectiveness of high-dose vitamin C IV therapy is largely dependent on achieving a cumulative pro-oxidant effect. This means that a single dose is insufficient to achieve the desired therapeutic outcomes. For maximum benefit, repeat infusions over a set period are required to maintain elevated levels of pro-oxidant activity, ensuring sustained therapeutic effects.
High-dose Vitamin C offer superior bioavailability compared to oral supplementation, providing more immediate and potent effects on cancer cells. This therapy has shown potential to enhance immune function, improve patient well-being, sensitize tumours to chemotherapy and radiation, and reduce tumour growth by inducing oxidative stress, particularly effective in tumours that have impaired antioxidant defence mechanisms.
Mechanisms of Action for High Dose Vitamin C In Cancer Care
Pro-oxidant Effects on Cancer Cells: At high doses, Vitamin C transforms into a pro-oxidant, inducing oxidative stress by producing hydrogen peroxide within the tumour microenvironment. This oxidative damage is selectively more toxic to cancer cells than to healthy cells, which are better equipped to neutralize free radicals. This effect disrupts cancer cell metabolism and leads to cellular damage, including DNA fragmentation and mitochondrial dysfunction, which can trigger apoptosis (programmed cell death).
Sensitization of Tumour Cells: Vitamin C IV infusion has been shown to sensitize tumour cells to conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. By increasing oxidative stress in cancer cells, Vitamin C can enhance the cytotoxicity of these treatments, making them more effective while potentially reducing the risk of tumour resistance.
Immune System Support: Vitamin C plays a critical role in immune function, supporting the production and activity of immune cells like T-cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and macrophages. High-dose Vitamin C IV infusions may enhance the body’s natural defence mechanisms against cancer and infections, improving patient outcomes, particularly during periods of immune suppression caused by cancer treatments.
Cumulative Effect and Repeat Dosing: The effectiveness of high-dose Vitamin C IV infusion therapy is significantly enhanced when administered over a period of time. Cumulative dosing is essential to maintain elevated pro-oxidant levels in the body, ensuring sustained therapeutic effects. Vitamin C pro-oxidant action is most effective when levels are consistently elevated, making repeat dosing critical for optimal results.
High Dose Vitamin C Role in Specific Types of Cancer
High-dose Vitamin C IV infusion therapy has shown potential as a supportive treatment across various types of cancer. Its ability to selectively induce oxidative stress in cancer cells, enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy, and support the immune system makes it a promising adjunct in cancer care. Below are some cancer types that may benefit from high-dose Vitamin C IV therapy.
Breast Cancer: Vitamin C has been shown to inhibit cancer cell proliferation and may reduce metastasis in breast cancer. It can also enhance the effects of chemotherapy and sensitize tumours to conventional treatments. High-dose Vitamin C can potentially reduce tumour size, particularly in estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) breast cancer, which tends to be more aggressive and less responsive to traditional therapies.
Lung Cancer: In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC), Vitamin C has shown promise in inhibiting tumour growth. It can also help overcome chemotherapy resistance and improve the efficacy of chemotherapy agents.
Pancreatic Cancer: Pancreatic cancer is particularly aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy. Vitamin C has been studied for its ability to sensitize pancreatic cancer cells to chemotherapy, especially gemcitabine, a paradigm treatment for pancreatic cancer. It also helps reduce inflammation and boost immune function.
Colorectal Cancer: Vitamin C may help reduce oxidative stress in colorectal cancer, inhibit cancer cell proliferation, and enhance chemotherapy. It can also improve the function of immune cells to better target and fight cancer cells.
Ovarian Cancer: Vitamin C has been suggested to reduce oxidative damage and sensitize ovarian cancer cells to chemotherapy. It may help mitigate the toxic side effects for treatments such as carboplatin.
Prostate Cancer: Vitamin C has demonstrated the ability to inhibit prostate cancer cell growth, particularly in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells. It may also reduce inflammation and suppress tumour metastasis.
Bladder Cancer: High-dose Vitamin C may enhance chemotherapy efficacy and reduce tumour growth in bladder cancer. It can also reduce inflammation and support immune function, which are vital for managing cancer-related complications.
Benefits of Vitamin C IV Infusion Therapy
Higher Bioavailability: this agent has limited bioavailability when taken orally due to its rapid metabolism and low absorption. IV infusion bypasses the digestive system, ensuring that higher concentrations of DCA are delivered directly into the bloodstream, leading to more effective therapeutic outcomes.
Faster Onset of Action: Intravenous infusion provides rapid systemic distribution, allowing for quicker onset of therapeutic effects. This can be especially beneficial in patients undergoing active cancer treatment, where immediate metabolic reprogramming and enhanced tumour suppression are critical.
Precise Dosing: IV administration allows for precise dosing, which is crucial for achieving therapeutic effects while minimizing potential side effects. Healthcare providers can adjust doses based on the patient’s specific needs and response to treatment.
Adjunct to Other Cancer Treatments: Our IV infusion therapies can be used in combination with conventional cancer therapies such as chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy. It has been shown to sensitize cancer cells to these treatments, potentially improving their efficacy and reducing the likelihood of drug resistance.
Research
1. Bryan Ngo et al, Targeting cancer vulnerabilities with high-dose vitamin C, Nat Rev Cancer 2019 May;19(5):271-282. doi: 10.1038/s41568-019-0135-7.
2. Polireddy K, Dong R, Reed G, Yu J, Chen P, Williamson S, et al. High dose parenteral Ascorbate inhibited pancreatic Cancer growth and metastasis: mechanisms and a phase I/IIa study. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):17188.
3. Chen Q, Espey MG, Sun AY, Pooput C, Kirk KL, Krishna MC, et al. Pharmacologic doses of ascorbate act as a prooxidant and decrease growth of aggressive tumor xenografts in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2008;105(32):11105–9.
2. Polireddy K, Dong R, Reed G, Yu J, Chen P, Williamson S, et al. High dose parenteral Ascorbate inhibited pancreatic Cancer growth and metastasis: mechanisms and a phase I/IIa study. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):17188.
3. Chen Q, Espey MG, Sun AY, Pooput C, Kirk KL, Krishna MC, et al. Pharmacologic doses of ascorbate act as a prooxidant and decrease growth of aggressive tumor xenografts in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2008;105(32):11105–9.
4. Schoenfeld JD, Sibenaller ZA, Mapuskar KA, Wagner BA, Cramer Morales KL, Furqan M, et al. O 2 ·− and H 2 O 2 Mediated Disruption of Fe Metabolism Causes the Differential Susceptibility of NSCLC and GBM Cancer Cells to Pharmacological Ascorbate. Cancer Cell. 2017;31(4):487–500.e8.
5. Takahashi H, Mizuno H, Yanagisawa A. High dose intravenous vitamin C improves quality of life in cancer patients. Pers Med Universe. 2012;1(1):49–53.
6. Vollbracht C, Schneider B, Leendert V, Weiss G, Auerbach L, Beuth J. Intravenous vitamin C administration improves quality of life in breast cancer patients during chemo−/radiotherapy and aftercare: results of a retrospective, multicentre, epidemiological cohort study in Germany. In Vivo. 2011;25(6):983–90.
7. Yeom CH, Jung GC, Song KJ. Changes of terminal Cancer patients’ health‐related quality of life after high dose vitamin C administration. J Korean Med Sci. 2007;22(1):7.
8. Agathocleous M, Meacham CE, Burgess RJ, Piskounova E, Zhao Z, Crane GM, et al. Ascorbate regulates haematopoietic stem cell function and leukaemogenesis. Nature. 2017;549(7673):476–81.
9. Bonilla‐Porras AR, Jimenez‐Del‐Rio M, Velez‐Pardo C. Vitamin K3 and vitamin C alone or in combination induced apoptosis in leukemia cells by a similar oxidative stress signalling mechanism. Cancer Cell Int. 2011;11(1):19.
10. Cimmino L, Dolgalev I, Wang Y, Yoshimi A, Martin GH, Wang J, et al. Res‐ toration of TET2 Function Blocks Aberrant Self‐Renewal and Leukemia Progression. Cell. 2017;170(6):1079–1095.e20.
11. Iamsawat S, Tian L, Daenthanasanmak A, Wu Y, Nguyen HD, Bastian D, et al. Vitamin C stabilizes CD81 iTregs and enhances their therapeutic potential in controlling murine GVHD and leukemia relapse. Blood Adv. 2019;3(24):4187–201.
12. Mingay M, Chaturvedi A, Bilenky M, Cao Q, Jackson L, Hui T, et al. Vita‐ min C‐induced epigenomic remodelling in IDH1 mutant acute myeloid leukaemia. Leukemia. 2018;32(1):11–20.
13. Aguilera O, Muñoz‐Sagastibelza M, Torrejón B, Borrero‐Palacios A, del Puerto‐Nevado L, Martínez‐Useros J, et al. Vitamin C uncouples the Warburg metabolic switch in KRAS mutant colon cancer. Oncotarget. 2016;7(30):47954–65.
14. Brandt KE, Falls KC, Schoenfeld JD, Rodman SN, Gu Z, Zhan F, et al. Augmentation of intracellular iron using iron sucrose enhances the toxicity of pharmacological ascorbate in colon cancer cells. Redox Biol. 2018;14(July 2017):82–7
15. Cenigaonandia‐Campillo A, Serna‐Blasco R, Gómez‐Ocabo L, Solanes‐ Casado S, Baños‐Herraiz N, Del Puerto‐ Nevado L, et al. Vitamin C activates pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) targeting the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in hypoxic KRAS mutant colon cancer. Theranostics. 2021;11(8):3595–606.
16. Mamede AC, Pires AS, Abrantes AM, Tavares SD, Gonçalves AC, Casalta‐ Lopes JE, et al. Cytotoxicity of ascorbic acid in a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (WiDr): in vitro and in vivo studies. Nutr Cancer. 2012;64(7):1049–57.
17. Nakanishi K, Hiramoto K, Ooi K. High‐dose vitamin C exerts its anti‐ cancer effects in a Xenograft model of Colon Cancer by suppressing angiogenesis. Biol Pharm Bull. 2021;44(6):884–7.
18. Pires AS, Marques CR, Encarnação JC, Abrantes AM, Mamede AC, Laranjo M, et al. Ascorbic acid and colon cancer: an oxidative stimulus to cell death depending on cell profile. Eur J Cell Biol. 2016;95(6–7):208–18.
19. Wang G, Yin T, Wang Y. In vitro and in vivo assessment of high‐dose vitamin C against murine tumors. Exp Ther Med. 2016;12(5):3058–62.
20. Yun J, Mullarky E, Lu C, Bosch KN, Kavalier A, Rivera K, et al. Vitamin C selectively kills KRAS and BRAF mutant colorectal cancer cells by target‐ ing GAPDH. Science (80‐ ). 2015;350(6266):1391–6.
21. Nakanishi K, Hiramoto K, Sato EF, Ooi K. High‐dose vitamin C adminis‐ tration inhibits the invasion and proliferation of melanoma cells in mice ovary. Biol Pharm Bull. 2021;44(1):75–81.
22. Chen XY, Chen Y, Qu CJ, Pan ZH, Qin Y, Zhang X, et al. Vitamin C induces human melanoma A375 cell apoptosis via Bax‐ and Bcl‐2‐mediated mitochondrial pathways. Oncol Lett. 2019;18(4):3880–6.
23. Kang JS, Cho D, Kim Y‐I, Hahm E, Yang Y, Kim D, et al. L‐ascorbic acid (vitamin C) induces the apoptosis of B16 murine melanoma cells via a caspase‐8?Independent pathway. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2003;52(11):693–8.
24. Mustafi S, Sant DW, Liu Z‐J, Wang G. Ascorbate induces apoptosis in melanoma cells by suppressing Clusterin expression. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):3671.
25. Serrano OK, Parrow NL, Violet P‐C, Yang J, Zornjak J, Basseville A, et al. Antitumor effect of pharmacologic ascorbate in the B16 murine mela‐ noma model. Free Radic Biol Med. 2015;87:193–203.
26. Du J, Martin SM, Levine M, Wagner BA, Buettner GR, Wang S, et al. Mechanisms of Ascorbate‐induced cytotoxicity in pancreatic Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2010;16(2):509–20.
27. Pollard HB, Levine MA, Eidelman O, Pollard M. Pharmacological ascorbic acid suppresses syngeneic tumor growth and metastases in hormone‐ refractory prostate cancer. In Vivo. 2010;24(3):249–55.
28. Li Z, He P, Luo G, Shi X, Yuan G, Zhang B, et al. Increased Tumoral micro‐ environmental pH improves cytotoxic effect of pharmacologic ascorbic acid in castration‐resistant prostate Cancer cells. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:570939.
29. Chen P, Yu J, Chalmers B, Drisko J, Yang J, Li B, et al. Pharmacologi‐ cal ascorbate induces cytotoxicity in prostate cancer cells through ATP depletion and induction of autophagy. Anti‐Cancer Drugs. 2012;23(4):437–44.
6. Vollbracht C, Schneider B, Leendert V, Weiss G, Auerbach L, Beuth J. Intravenous vitamin C administration improves quality of life in breast cancer patients during chemo−/radiotherapy and aftercare: results of a retrospective, multicentre, epidemiological cohort study in Germany. In Vivo. 2011;25(6):983–90.
7. Yeom CH, Jung GC, Song KJ. Changes of terminal Cancer patients’ health‐related quality of life after high dose vitamin C administration. J Korean Med Sci. 2007;22(1):7.
8. Agathocleous M, Meacham CE, Burgess RJ, Piskounova E, Zhao Z, Crane GM, et al. Ascorbate regulates haematopoietic stem cell function and leukaemogenesis. Nature. 2017;549(7673):476–81.
9. Bonilla‐Porras AR, Jimenez‐Del‐Rio M, Velez‐Pardo C. Vitamin K3 and vitamin C alone or in combination induced apoptosis in leukemia cells by a similar oxidative stress signalling mechanism. Cancer Cell Int. 2011;11(1):19.
10. Cimmino L, Dolgalev I, Wang Y, Yoshimi A, Martin GH, Wang J, et al. Res‐ toration of TET2 Function Blocks Aberrant Self‐Renewal and Leukemia Progression. Cell. 2017;170(6):1079–1095.e20.
11. Iamsawat S, Tian L, Daenthanasanmak A, Wu Y, Nguyen HD, Bastian D, et al. Vitamin C stabilizes CD81 iTregs and enhances their therapeutic potential in controlling murine GVHD and leukemia relapse. Blood Adv. 2019;3(24):4187–201.
12. Mingay M, Chaturvedi A, Bilenky M, Cao Q, Jackson L, Hui T, et al. Vita‐ min C‐induced epigenomic remodelling in IDH1 mutant acute myeloid leukaemia. Leukemia. 2018;32(1):11–20.
13. Aguilera O, Muñoz‐Sagastibelza M, Torrejón B, Borrero‐Palacios A, del Puerto‐Nevado L, Martínez‐Useros J, et al. Vitamin C uncouples the Warburg metabolic switch in KRAS mutant colon cancer. Oncotarget. 2016;7(30):47954–65.
14. Brandt KE, Falls KC, Schoenfeld JD, Rodman SN, Gu Z, Zhan F, et al. Augmentation of intracellular iron using iron sucrose enhances the toxicity of pharmacological ascorbate in colon cancer cells. Redox Biol. 2018;14(July 2017):82–7
15. Cenigaonandia‐Campillo A, Serna‐Blasco R, Gómez‐Ocabo L, Solanes‐ Casado S, Baños‐Herraiz N, Del Puerto‐ Nevado L, et al. Vitamin C activates pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) targeting the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in hypoxic KRAS mutant colon cancer. Theranostics. 2021;11(8):3595–606.
16. Mamede AC, Pires AS, Abrantes AM, Tavares SD, Gonçalves AC, Casalta‐ Lopes JE, et al. Cytotoxicity of ascorbic acid in a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (WiDr): in vitro and in vivo studies. Nutr Cancer. 2012;64(7):1049–57.
17. Nakanishi K, Hiramoto K, Ooi K. High‐dose vitamin C exerts its anti‐ cancer effects in a Xenograft model of Colon Cancer by suppressing angiogenesis. Biol Pharm Bull. 2021;44(6):884–7.
18. Pires AS, Marques CR, Encarnação JC, Abrantes AM, Mamede AC, Laranjo M, et al. Ascorbic acid and colon cancer: an oxidative stimulus to cell death depending on cell profile. Eur J Cell Biol. 2016;95(6–7):208–18.
19. Wang G, Yin T, Wang Y. In vitro and in vivo assessment of high‐dose vitamin C against murine tumors. Exp Ther Med. 2016;12(5):3058–62.
20. Yun J, Mullarky E, Lu C, Bosch KN, Kavalier A, Rivera K, et al. Vitamin C selectively kills KRAS and BRAF mutant colorectal cancer cells by target‐ ing GAPDH. Science (80‐ ). 2015;350(6266):1391–6.
21. Nakanishi K, Hiramoto K, Sato EF, Ooi K. High‐dose vitamin C adminis‐ tration inhibits the invasion and proliferation of melanoma cells in mice ovary. Biol Pharm Bull. 2021;44(1):75–81.
22. Chen XY, Chen Y, Qu CJ, Pan ZH, Qin Y, Zhang X, et al. Vitamin C induces human melanoma A375 cell apoptosis via Bax‐ and Bcl‐2‐mediated mitochondrial pathways. Oncol Lett. 2019;18(4):3880–6.
23. Kang JS, Cho D, Kim Y‐I, Hahm E, Yang Y, Kim D, et al. L‐ascorbic acid (vitamin C) induces the apoptosis of B16 murine melanoma cells via a caspase‐8?Independent pathway. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2003;52(11):693–8.
24. Mustafi S, Sant DW, Liu Z‐J, Wang G. Ascorbate induces apoptosis in melanoma cells by suppressing Clusterin expression. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):3671.
25. Serrano OK, Parrow NL, Violet P‐C, Yang J, Zornjak J, Basseville A, et al. Antitumor effect of pharmacologic ascorbate in the B16 murine mela‐ noma model. Free Radic Biol Med. 2015;87:193–203.
26. Du J, Martin SM, Levine M, Wagner BA, Buettner GR, Wang S, et al. Mechanisms of Ascorbate‐induced cytotoxicity in pancreatic Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2010;16(2):509–20.
27. Pollard HB, Levine MA, Eidelman O, Pollard M. Pharmacological ascorbic acid suppresses syngeneic tumor growth and metastases in hormone‐ refractory prostate cancer. In Vivo. 2010;24(3):249–55.
28. Li Z, He P, Luo G, Shi X, Yuan G, Zhang B, et al. Increased Tumoral micro‐ environmental pH improves cytotoxic effect of pharmacologic ascorbic acid in castration‐resistant prostate Cancer cells. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:570939.
29. Chen P, Yu J, Chalmers B, Drisko J, Yang J, Li B, et al. Pharmacologi‐ cal ascorbate induces cytotoxicity in prostate cancer cells through ATP depletion and induction of autophagy. Anti‐Cancer Drugs. 2012;23(4):437–44.
30. Ramezankhani B, Taha MF, Javeri A. Vitamin C counteracts miR‐302/367‐in‐ duced reprogramming of human breast cancer cells and restores their invasive and proliferative capacity. J Cell Physiol. 2019;234(3):2672–82.
31. Xu Y, Guo X, Wang G, Zhou C. Vitamin C inhibits metastasis of peritoneal tumors by preventing spheroid formation in ID8 murine epithelial peritoneal Cancer model. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:645.
32. Gregoraszczuk EL, Zajda K, Tekla J, Respekta N, Zdybał P, Such A. Vitamin C supplementation had no side effect in non‐cancer, but had antican‐ cer properties in ovarian cancer cells. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2020;3:1–11.
33. Lv H, Wang C, Fang T, Li T, Lv G, Han Q, et al. Vitamin C preferentially kills cancer stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma via SVCT‐2. npj Precis Oncol. 2018;2(1):1.
34. Alyoussef A, Al‐Gayyar MMH. Cytotoxic and partial hepatoprotective activity of sodium ascorbate against hepatocellular carcinoma through inhibition of sulfatase‐2 in vivo and in vitro. Biomed Pharmacother. 2018;103:362–72.
35. Volta V, Ranzato E, Martinotti S, Gallo S, Russo MV, Mutti L, et al. Preclini‐ cal Demonstration of Synergistic Active Nutrients/Drug (AND) Com‐ bination as a Potential Treatment for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. McCormick DL, editor. PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e58051.
36. Ranzato E, Biffo S, Burlando B. Selective Ascorbate toxicity in malignant mesothelioma. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2011;44(1):108–17.
37. Su X, Shen Z, Yang Q, Sui F, Pu J, Ma J, et al. Vitamin C kills thyroid cancer cells through ROS‐dependent inhibition
of MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways via distinct mechanisms. Theranostics. 2019;9(15):4461–73.
38. Tronci L, Serreli G, Piras C, Frau DV, Dettori T, Deiana M, et al. Vitamin C cytotoxicity and its effects in redox homeostasis and energetic metabolism in papillary thyroid carcinoma cell lines. Antioxidants. 2021;10(5):809.
39. Zhou J, Chen C, Chen X, Fei Y, Jiang L, Wang G. Vitamin C promotes apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in Oral squamous cell carcinoma. Front Oncol. 2020;10:976.
40. Deubzer B, Mayer F, Kuçi Z, Niewisch M, Merkel G, Handgretinger R,et al. H2O2‐mediated cytotoxicity of
pharmacologic Ascorbate concen‐ trations to neuroblastoma cells: potential role of lactate and ferritin. Cell Physiol
Biochem. 2010;25(6):767–74.
41. Castro M,Carson G, McConnell M, Herst P. High dose Ascorbate causes both Genotoxic and metabolic stress in Glioma cells. Antioxidants. 2017;6(3):58.
42. Gokturk D, Kelebek H, Ceylan S, Yilmaz DM. The effect of ascorbic acid over the Etoposide‐ and Temozolomide‐ mediated cytotoxic‐ ity in Glioblastoma cell culture: a molecular study. Turk Neurosurg. 2018;28(1):13–8.
43. Campbell EJ, Dachs GU. Current limitations of murine models in oncol‐ ogy for Ascorbate research. Front Oncol. 2014;4:282.
44. Campbell EJ, Vissers MCM, Wohlrab C, Hicks KO, Strother RM, Bozonet SM, et al. Pharmacokinetic and anti‐ cancer properties of high dose ascorbate in solid tumours of ascorbate‐dependent mice. Free Radic Biol Med. 2016;99:451–62.
45. Chen P, Stone J, Sullivan G, Drisko JA, Chen Q. Anti‐cancer effect of pharmacologic ascorbate and its interaction with supplementary par‐ enteral glutathione in preclinical cancer models. Free Radic Biol Med. 2011;51(3):681–7.
46. Taper HS, Jamison JM, Gilloteaux J, Summers JL, Calderon PB. Inhibition of the development of metastases by dietary vitamin C:K 3 combination. Life Sci. 2004;75(8):955–67.
47. Alessandro Magrì et al: High-dose vitamin C enhances cancer immunotherapy: Sci Transl Med 2020 Feb 26;12(532):eaay8707. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aay8707.
48. Franziska Böttger et al. High-dose intravenous vitamin C, a promising multi-targeting agent in the treatment of cancer: J Exp Cain Cancer Res 2021 Oct 30;40(1):343. doi: 10.1186/s13046-021-02134-y.
49. Manuela Giansanti et al: High-Dose Vitamin C: Preclinical Evidence for Tailoring Treatment in Cancer Patients Cancers (Basel) 2021 Mar 20;13(6):1428. doi: 10.3390/cancers13061428.
References for IVC monotherapy in palliative care and quality of life (EOL)
1. Polireddy K, Dong R, Reed G, Yu J, Chen P, Williamson S, et al. High dose parenteral Ascorbate inhibited pancreatic Cancer growth and metasta‐ sis: mechanisms and a phase I/IIa study. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):17188.
2. Takahashi H, Mizuno H, Yanagisawa A. High‐dose intravenous vitamin C improves quality of life in cancer patients. Pers Med Universe. 2012;1(1):49–53.
3. Vollbracht C, Schneider B, Leendert V, Weiss G, Auerbach L, Beuth J. Intravenous vitamin C administration improves quality of life in breast cancer patients during chemo−/radiotherapy and aftercare: results of a retrospective, multicentre, epidemiological cohort study in Germany. In Vivo. 2011;25(6):983–90.
4. Yeom CH, Jung GC, Song KJ. Changes of terminal Cancer patients’ health‐related quality of life after high dose vitamin C administration. J Korean Med Sci. 2007;22(1):7.
31. Xu Y, Guo X, Wang G, Zhou C. Vitamin C inhibits metastasis of peritoneal tumors by preventing spheroid formation in ID8 murine epithelial peritoneal Cancer model. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:645.
32. Gregoraszczuk EL, Zajda K, Tekla J, Respekta N, Zdybał P, Such A. Vitamin C supplementation had no side effect in non‐cancer, but had antican‐ cer properties in ovarian cancer cells. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2020;3:1–11.
33. Lv H, Wang C, Fang T, Li T, Lv G, Han Q, et al. Vitamin C preferentially kills cancer stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma via SVCT‐2. npj Precis Oncol. 2018;2(1):1.
34. Alyoussef A, Al‐Gayyar MMH. Cytotoxic and partial hepatoprotective activity of sodium ascorbate against hepatocellular carcinoma through inhibition of sulfatase‐2 in vivo and in vitro. Biomed Pharmacother. 2018;103:362–72.
35. Volta V, Ranzato E, Martinotti S, Gallo S, Russo MV, Mutti L, et al. Preclini‐ cal Demonstration of Synergistic Active Nutrients/Drug (AND) Com‐ bination as a Potential Treatment for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. McCormick DL, editor. PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e58051.
36. Ranzato E, Biffo S, Burlando B. Selective Ascorbate toxicity in malignant mesothelioma. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2011;44(1):108–17.
37. Su X, Shen Z, Yang Q, Sui F, Pu J, Ma J, et al. Vitamin C kills thyroid cancer cells through ROS‐dependent inhibition
of MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways via distinct mechanisms. Theranostics. 2019;9(15):4461–73.
38. Tronci L, Serreli G, Piras C, Frau DV, Dettori T, Deiana M, et al. Vitamin C cytotoxicity and its effects in redox homeostasis and energetic metabolism in papillary thyroid carcinoma cell lines. Antioxidants. 2021;10(5):809.
39. Zhou J, Chen C, Chen X, Fei Y, Jiang L, Wang G. Vitamin C promotes apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in Oral squamous cell carcinoma. Front Oncol. 2020;10:976.
40. Deubzer B, Mayer F, Kuçi Z, Niewisch M, Merkel G, Handgretinger R,et al. H2O2‐mediated cytotoxicity of
pharmacologic Ascorbate concen‐ trations to neuroblastoma cells: potential role of lactate and ferritin. Cell Physiol
Biochem. 2010;25(6):767–74.
41. Castro M,Carson G, McConnell M, Herst P. High dose Ascorbate causes both Genotoxic and metabolic stress in Glioma cells. Antioxidants. 2017;6(3):58.
42. Gokturk D, Kelebek H, Ceylan S, Yilmaz DM. The effect of ascorbic acid over the Etoposide‐ and Temozolomide‐ mediated cytotoxic‐ ity in Glioblastoma cell culture: a molecular study. Turk Neurosurg. 2018;28(1):13–8.
43. Campbell EJ, Dachs GU. Current limitations of murine models in oncol‐ ogy for Ascorbate research. Front Oncol. 2014;4:282.
44. Campbell EJ, Vissers MCM, Wohlrab C, Hicks KO, Strother RM, Bozonet SM, et al. Pharmacokinetic and anti‐ cancer properties of high dose ascorbate in solid tumours of ascorbate‐dependent mice. Free Radic Biol Med. 2016;99:451–62.
45. Chen P, Stone J, Sullivan G, Drisko JA, Chen Q. Anti‐cancer effect of pharmacologic ascorbate and its interaction with supplementary par‐ enteral glutathione in preclinical cancer models. Free Radic Biol Med. 2011;51(3):681–7.
46. Taper HS, Jamison JM, Gilloteaux J, Summers JL, Calderon PB. Inhibition of the development of metastases by dietary vitamin C:K 3 combination. Life Sci. 2004;75(8):955–67.
47. Alessandro Magrì et al: High-dose vitamin C enhances cancer immunotherapy: Sci Transl Med 2020 Feb 26;12(532):eaay8707. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aay8707.
48. Franziska Böttger et al. High-dose intravenous vitamin C, a promising multi-targeting agent in the treatment of cancer: J Exp Cain Cancer Res 2021 Oct 30;40(1):343. doi: 10.1186/s13046-021-02134-y.
49. Manuela Giansanti et al: High-Dose Vitamin C: Preclinical Evidence for Tailoring Treatment in Cancer Patients Cancers (Basel) 2021 Mar 20;13(6):1428. doi: 10.3390/cancers13061428.
References for IVC monotherapy in palliative care and quality of life (EOL)
1. Polireddy K, Dong R, Reed G, Yu J, Chen P, Williamson S, et al. High dose parenteral Ascorbate inhibited pancreatic Cancer growth and metasta‐ sis: mechanisms and a phase I/IIa study. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):17188.
2. Takahashi H, Mizuno H, Yanagisawa A. High‐dose intravenous vitamin C improves quality of life in cancer patients. Pers Med Universe. 2012;1(1):49–53.
3. Vollbracht C, Schneider B, Leendert V, Weiss G, Auerbach L, Beuth J. Intravenous vitamin C administration improves quality of life in breast cancer patients during chemo−/radiotherapy and aftercare: results of a retrospective, multicentre, epidemiological cohort study in Germany. In Vivo. 2011;25(6):983–90.
4. Yeom CH, Jung GC, Song KJ. Changes of terminal Cancer patients’ health‐related quality of life after high dose vitamin C administration. J Korean Med Sci. 2007;22(1):7.
Why Choose Wellbeing Medical Group?
At Wellbeing Medical Group, we have specifically designed our therapies with the health of our patients in mind. We work alongside our patients to tailor your dosage to meet your unique medical needs and provide you with consistent support from start to finish.
Your comfort is our top priority, and we pride ourselves on having a calming environment during your therapy. We will support your cancer journey using a range of complementary therapies administered by our expert medical team.
Contact our team today to find out more about how our high dose vitamin C IV therapy can help you and to book a consultation with our integrative oncology care team.
Frequently Asked Questions
When it comes to vitamin C IV therapy within cancer care, the benefits outweigh the risks, as intravenous vitamin C therapy has a very low risk of side effects.
As our patients merge their conventional route path with therapies such as high dose vitamin c, our medical team understands adverse reactions can be a results of treatments such as chemotherapy. All patients are monitored closely and with the use of high dose vitamin c alongside your conventional treatment, adverse reactions can subside over a shirt period of time.
According to a range of scientific research[47], a fully competent immune system is required to maximise the antiproliferative effect of Vitamin C in breast, colorectal, melanoma, and pancreatic tumours. High-dose Vitamin C modulates infiltration of the tumour microenvironment via the cells of the immune system and delays cancer growth in a T cell-dependent manner.
Vitamin C not only enhances the cytotoxic activity of adoptively transferred CD8 T cells but also cooperates with immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) in several cancer types. A combination of this vitamin and ICT can be curative in models of mismatch repair-deficient tumours with a high mutational burden.
More literature [48] indicates that Vitamin C has the potential to be a potent anti-cancer agent when administered intravenously and in high doses (high-dose IVC). Early-phase clinical trials have confirmed the safety and indicated the efficacy of IVC in eradicating tumour cells of various cancer types.
High dose Vitamin C IV therapy has been shown to be safe and well-tolerated in cancer patients and has been scientifically proven to reduce pain and improve quality of life in the palliative care setting.
In palliative care, high dose vitamin C IV therapy is currently gaining ground due to its highly safe and tolerable profile. Not only is high dose IV vitamin C therapy known to relieve pain in cancer patients [6], vast clinical evidence suggests that it has a significant positive impact on patients’ well-being [1, 2-5, 7-10]. This might be due to the frequent hypovitaminosis and Vitamin C deficiency in cancer patients [6, 11, 12], which are commonly enhanced by anti-neo-plastic treatments [3].
Research has shown that patients with radiotherapy-resistant bone metastasis have less pain and better performance measures when given high dose vitamin C IV therapy. Patients also had a median survival time of 10 months as compared to the 2-month median survival time within the control group [7].
Overall, high dose vitamin C IV therapy administered as a single agent has not only been shown to be safe and well-tolerated in cancer patients but also to alleviate pain and to improve quality of life in the palliative care setting.
At Wellbeing Medical Group, we have specifically designed our high dose vitamin C IV therapy with the health of our patients in mind. We work alongside our patients to tailor your dosage to meet your unique medical needs and provide you with consistent support from start to finish.
Your comfort is our top priority, and we pride ourselves on having a calming environment during your therapy. We will help you relieve pain and manage the symptoms of cancer treatment using a range of complementary therapies administered by our expert cancer care consultants.
Contact our team today to find out more about how our high dose vitamin C IV therapy can help you and to book a consultation with our cancer care team.
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Wellbeing Medical Group thrives to keep your health the no.1 priority. Our staff are dedicated to work closely on your case and offer you the maximum support required to reaching optimized health goals. Each person is an individual for us and so is our approach.
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