What vitamin C can do for pancreatic cancer

Cancer is arguably the most feared word in the English language.

Some cancers are especially cruel. They are hard to detect, yet they progress rapidly. Pancreatic cancer is one of these.

This difficulty in detection makes life expectancy for people with pancreatic cancer horribly short.

For the past two decades, one group of researchers has persevered in proving that there’s a simple, inexpensive treatment that can double that life expectancy while also improving the quality of life for people living with pancreatic cancer.

Why is pancreatic cancer so hard to detect?

First, let’s discuss why the pancreas, a large gland that controls the digestive and endocrine systems, is so important.  

As a digestive organ, it produces pancreatic juice, which neutralizes stomach acid, and digestive enzymes that break down carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the food we eat.

As an endocrine gland, the pancreas produces insulin and other hormones that regulate blood sugar.

The pancreas is tucked away in the abdominal cavity behind the stomach. That’s why pancreatic cancer may be difficult to detect and often isn’t diagnosed until the disease is in more advanced stages.

In the last few years, more modern detection methods, such as using artificial intelligence to read CT scans, have proven effective in detecting pancreatic cancer sooner.

But what about better treatment for those who end up with this fast-moving cancer?

There are exciting improvements in that area as well.

Intravenous vitamin C extends life

I’ve written previously about vitamin D’s cancer-fighting powers. But I have to say, I am equally impressed with vitamin C.

A team at the University of Iowa has been researching the benefits of high-dose intravenous vitamin C for cancer patients.

Early in 2024, they showed a significant increase in survival when cancer patients with glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer, had this treatment added to standard chemotherapy.

Dr. Joe Cullen, a University of Iowa professor of surgery, was part of this trial.

He’s also a senior author of a new study showing that adding high-dose I.V. vitamin C to chemotherapy doubles the average survival rate of patients with late-stage metastatic pancreatic cancer from eight months to sixteen months. 

Dr. Cullen notes that despite skepticism around vitamin C as a cancer therapy, the results his team has obtained are undeniable.

“Through every step of the process, it continued to improve. We did it in cells, it worked great. We did it in mice, it worked great. Then our phase one trials looked very promising. So, the progression has just been phenomenal, really.

“For example, in one of our phase 1 trials for pancreatic cancer, where we combine high-dose IV vitamin C with radiation, we still have three long-term survivors. They’re out nine years at this point, which is far beyond the typical survival range.” 

Risks and early warning signs

While this new development is extremely promising, there’s still a need to catch pancreatic cancer early and to avoid the risk factors that make it more likely.

Those risk factors include:

• Smoking
• Being overweight
• Diabetes
• Exposure to chemicals used in dry cleaning
• Chronic pancreatitis

The nine early warning signs of pancreatic cancer are:

• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
• Pain in the upper or middle abdomen and back
• Dark urine
• Itchy skin, especially palms or soles of the feet
• Abdominal pain
• Change in appearance or smell of stools
• Loss of appetite, especially if accompanied by a change in your taste for foods (you may suddenly feel ill at the thought of eating your favorite food)
• Unexplained weight loss
• Enlarged gallbladder or liver
• Blood clots, especially in a large vein, like in the leg
• New onset of diabetes
• Feeling tired

If you experience any of these, and especially if you’re experiencing more than two at a time, see your doctor right away. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Sources:

High dose IV vitamin C plus chemotherapy doubles survival in advanced pancreatic cancer — Eureka Alert

A randomized trial of pharmacological ascorbate,, gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel for metasatatic pancreaetic cancer — Redox Biology

Magnetic resonance imaging of iron metabolism with T2 mapping predicts an enhanced clinical response to pharmacologic ascorbate in patients with GBM — Clinical Cancer Research