Phase I Trial of High-Dose Vitamin C with Gemcitabine in Pancreatic Cancer
Dr. Kumar’s Take
This small safety study gave patients with advanced pancreatic cancer very high doses of vitamin C by IV, alongside standard gemcitabine chemotherapy. It was encouraging to see very few extra side effects and early signs that patients lived longer than usual. This opens a new path to support chemotherapy with a common nutrient.
Key Takeaways
✔ High-dose IV vitamin C (50–125 g twice weekly) with gemcitabine caused no serious extra side effects.
✔ Mild side effects included diarrhea and dry mouth that resolved the same day.
✔ On average, tumors took about 6 months to grow again and patients lived about 13 months in total.
✔ Blood tests showed no increase in overall oxidative stress; key antioxidant levels stayed stable.