QUESTION: I have a Breast Cancer patient who I would like to treat with HDIVC but her oncologist told her he’s really not comfortable with it, especially since this new study in breast cancer patients which showed worse outcomes for the woman that used it during chemotherapy. Is there such a study?
ANSWER: Any actual human data showing that BrCA outcomes are worse with IVC either does not exist or is very well hidden. Additionally (although speaking to oral supplementation with ASC – not really analogous to IV administration) Dr. Heather Wright posted this conclusion from the 2014 Harris Paper: “Results from our meta-analysis indicate that post diagnosis vitamin C supplement use among breast cancer patients is associated with a reduction in total mortality and breast cancer-specific mortality.” REF And Heather mentions this new cell line study showing that pretreatment of cells with ASC prior to Tamox administration may attenuate cell death: Vitamin C suppresses cell death in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells induced by tamoxifen. This (although cell type and methodology differ) is in contrast to the only other two papers looking at cell treatment or basic science in regard to ASC and Tamox: A basic science theoretical treatment on potential MOA for Ascorbate and Tamox – essentially a neutral outcome and this cell pretreatment study apparently positive for synergy of ASC – Tamoxifen – Modification of the effect of tamoxifen, cis-platin, DTIC, and interferon-alpha 2b on human melanoma cells in culture by a mixture of vitamins.
I suppose the take home point is that we have all likely heard an oncologist (or their patient) quote a “study that just came out showing the use of Vitamin C inactivates (insert your type of chemo) so you should ever use it” so many times it is almost comical. When asked for citations they never appear and the discussion ceases (but rarely does the mind of the other physician change). The only references ever given are either cell line studies as above or really loose correlation / in vitro data summary papers that make pretty wild jumps in their conclusions. Again never a human trial. While there are some agents (a very few) that we have data to support some observance of separation in ASC and the particular chemo, there is a mass of evidence that combination is neutral or improves either the chemo effectiveness, tolerance or both. And when you isolate the actual human trials there is no current negative outcome data. This new paper for example although not a BrCA review showed that in both a mouse and human model study: “The combination of parenteral ascorbate with the conventional chemotherapeutic agents carboplatin and paclitaxel synergistically inhibited ovarian cancer in mouse models and reduced chemotherapy-associated toxicity in patients with ovarian cancer. On the basis of its potential benefit and minimal toxicity, examination of intravenous ascorbate in combination with standard chemotherapy is justified in larger clinical trials.” REFERENCE
Additionally (should Leanna and I live long enough to start publications of them) our own human subjects in our case series have had no apparent inhibitory effect on radiation or chemotherapy when ASC and other oxidant therapies are used concurrently. This matches every human trial we have reviewed.