Onkologie. 2013:7(4):196-200

Use of intravenous vitamin C in an oncological patient

Joseph John Cullen¹, Martina Kubecová², Martin Majirský², Pavel Kostiuk³, Lucie Kotlářová³, Zdeněk Procházka³, Jiří Slíva⁴

¹ Univerzity of Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, USA

² Radioterapeutická a onkologická klinika, Fakultní nemocnice Královské Vinohrady, Praha

³ Edukafarm, Praha

⁴ Farmakologické ústavy 2. a 3. LFUK, Praha

The possibility of use of vitamin C in oncology emerged about 30 years ago and became topic of expert discussions. Recent discoveries

in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ascorbate and laboratory and clinical research demonstrated that vitamin C has dual

properties (antioxidant and prooxidant) depending on the dose and on the conditions of the microenvironment in which operates. Based

on these new findings, it appears that for antitumour effect high concentrations of ascorbate is needed (mmol/l), which is attainable only

by administration of doses of the gram order. Milimolar plazmatic concentration of ascorbate is selectively cytotoxic for many tumor cell

lines. The desired post-infusion plazma concentration is established to 18–22 mmol/l. Appropriate dose of vitamin C was established

in recent studies within the range from 0.75 to 1.75 g/kg of body weight. Phase I clinical studies organized in recent years proved safety

of intravenous vitamin C in gram order and possibility of combination of the substance with standard chemotherapy. The studies

showed that application of intravenous vitamin C (IVC) belongs to the basic anti-tumor therapy, becuase it improves quality of life of

oncological patients and reduces intensity of undesirable effects caused by chemo/radiotherapy.

Keywords: vitamin C, ascorbic acid, oncology

Published: October 1, 2013  Show citation