In the United States, approximately 30,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed each
year and an almost equal number of deaths are related to this cancer. Different types of
chemotherapeutic treatments are used that target different parts of the cancer cell with some
success, but there is room for other treatment options.
It is known that people with cancer are using high doses of intravenous vitamin C also known
as ascorbate, as a cancer treatment and this is occurring frequently. When Vitamin C is given
in this manner, it is not taken by mouth; instead, it enters your body through an IV
(intravenous) site, or tube that is inserted through a needle into your vein. If you have a
port-a-cath in place, the IV will be given using your port. When Vitamin C enters your body
through an IV site, it is known that it acts like a drug and not a vitamin. It produces a
substance around the cancer cells called hydrogen peroxide. It has been seen in animal
research studies that hydrogen peroxide kills the cancer cells while leaving the normal cells
unharmed.
Currently the FDA does not approve the use of high-dose intravenous Vitamin C as a cancer
treatment. The use of intravenous Vitamin C in this study is experimental. Furthermore, it is
important to know that we do not expect the intravenous Vitamin C given in this study to be
healing for the treatment of your cancer.
Phase:
Phase 1
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Jeanne Drisko, MD, CNS, FACN
Collaborators:
Lotte & John Hecht Memorial Foundation University of Kansas Medical Center