IV Immunonutrition Therapy for Cancer Patients

Patients who receive intensive chemotherapy and/or stem cell transplantations are prone for infectious complications. Many cancer patients on intensive chemotherapy lack vitamin C. Boosting their immune system with vitamin C to hasten immune recovery and thereby prevent infectious complications is attractive, since vitamin C is cheap and generally available.  Vitamin C stimulates the production and activation of immune cells, so perhaps supplementation could be used to improve the immunity in those patients 

vitamin C has been known to stimulate immune function, inhibit nitrosamine formation, and block the metabolic activation of carcinogens,  its cancer-preventive effects may be associated mainly with its protective effects against oxidative stress

In a study of healthy volunteers and people with cancer, vitamin C was shown to be safe at doses up to 1.5 g/kg in people who do not have kidney stones, other kidney diseases, or G6PD deficiency.

As early as the 1970s, some researchers were suggesting that using high doses of intravenous vitamin C along with cancer drugs could improve treatment of cancer. Intravenous vitamin C can produce very high levels of vitamin C in the body. Researchers believe that these high vitamin C levels can be toxic to cancer cells without harming the healthy cells of the body.

Some researchers also believe that vitamin C might be able to reduce the side effects of cancer drugs.

HIGH-DOSE VITAMIN C BENEFITS

  • It is an antioxidant and also plays a key role in making collagen.
  • Laboratory studies have shown that high doses of vitamin C may slow the growth and spread of prostate, pancreatic, liver, colon and other types of cancer cells
  • Animal studies have shown that high-dose vitamin C treatment blocks tumor growth in certain models of pancreatic, liver, prostate, and ovarian cancers, sarcoma, and malignant mesothelioma.
  • Some human studies of high-dose IV vitamin C in patients with cancer have shown improved quality of life, as well as improvements in physical, mental, and emotional functions, symptoms of fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain, and appetite loss.
  • Intravenous high-dose ascorbic acid has caused very few side effects in clinical trials.

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

https://www.cancer.gov/