What is known about efficacy of the high dose intravenous ascorbate in the treatment of cancer patients?
It was reported that ascorbate, given orally and intravenously at doses of up to 10 g/day, was effective in the treatment of cancer. However, double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials showed no survival advantage when the same doses of ascorbate were given orally, leading the medical and scientific communities to dismiss the use of ascorbate as a potential cancer treatment. Pharmacologic actions of ascorbate against cancer cells remain to be fully understood. It is thought that high dose ascorbate is selectively cytotoxic to cancer cell lines through the generation of extracellular hydrogen peroxide. High dose intravenous ascorbate (IVC) may be able to modulate inflammation, which in turn might improve outcomes for cancer patients. IVC may serve as a safe, adjunctive therapy in clinical cancer care