Pancreatic cancer, and in particular pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), has a very poor prognosis – only 6% survive within 5 years of diagnosis. This case report presents a PDA patient with metastasis, with an expected survival of 6 months. He was treated with intravenous vitamin C 2-3 times a week. At the 8-month follow-up, most masses had decreased in size and continued decreasing in subsequent follow-ups. The patient survived 4 years with this regimen, and died of causes indirectly related to PDA, but not associated with PDA progression.
Anticancer Drugs. 2018 Apr;29(4):373-379. doi: 10.1097/CAD.0000000000000603
Treatment of pancreatic cancer with intravenous vitamin C: a case report.
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) has a dismal prognosis and is often discovered at an advanced stage with few therapeutic options. Current conventional regimens for PDA are associated with significant morbidity, decreased quality of life, and a considerable financial burden. As a result, some patients turn to integrative medicine therapies as an alternate option after a diagnosis of PDA. Intravenous pharmacologic ascorbic acid (PAA) is one such treatment. The use of PAA has been passionately debated for many years, but more recent rigorous scientific research has shown that there are significant blood concentration differences when ascorbic acid is given parenterally when compared to oral dosing. This pharmacologic difference appears to be critical for its role in oncology. Here, we report the use of PAA in a patient with poorly differentiated stage IV PDA as an exclusive chemotherapeutic regimen. The patient survived nearly 4 years after diagnosis, with PAA as his sole treatment, and he achieved objective regression of his disease. He died from sepsis and organ failure from a bowel perforation event. This case illustrates the possibility of PAA to effectively control tumor progression and serve as an adjunct to standard of care PDA chemotherapy regimens. Our patient’s experience with PAA should be taken into consideration, along with previous research in cell, animal, and clinical experiments to design future treatment trials.
- PMID: 29438178 PMCID: PMC5882293