Abstract
Cancer patients commonly experience a number of symptoms of disease progression and the side-effects of radiation therapy and adjuvant chemotherapy, which adversely impact on their quality of life (QOL). Fatigue is one of the most common and debilitating symptom reported by cancer patients and can affect QOL more than pain. Several recent studies have indicated that intravenous (IV) vitamin C alleviates a number of cancer- and chemotherapy-related symptoms, such as fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, and pain. Improvements in physical, role, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning, as well as an improvement in overall health, were also observed. In this mini review, we briefly cover the methods commonly used to assess health-related QOL in cancer patients, and describe the few recent studies examining the effects of IV vitamin C on cancer- and chemotherapy-related QOL. We discuss potential mechanisms that might explain an improvement in QOL and also considerations for future studies.
Highlights
High-dose intravenous (IV) vitamin C has been administered by physicians for many decades as a complementary and alternative therapy for cancer patients [1]
Evidence has been accumulating which indicates that IV vitamin C may improve the quality of life (QOL) of cancer patients, both in the presence and absence of adjuvant chemoand radiotherapy [6,7,8,9]
We briefly cover the methods commonly used to assess health-related QOL in cancer patients, and describe the few recent studies examining the effects of IV vitamin C on cancer- and chemotherapy-related QOL
Summary
High-dose intravenous (IV) vitamin C has been administered by physicians for many decades as a complementary and alternative therapy for cancer patients [1]. The QOL questionnaire showed dramatic decreases in fatigue, pain, appetite loss, nausea/vomiting, and insomnia following vitamin C administration (Table 1). The patients reported significantly lower scores for fatigue, pain, nausea/vomiting, and appetite loss following administration of vitamin C (Table 1). The patients reported significantly higher scores for physical, role, emotional, and cognitive function, as well as an overall improvement in their global health scale (from a score of 36 to a score of 55) following vitamin C administration. A recent phase I clinical trial designed to test the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of IV vitamin C in patients with advanced cancer measured health-related QOL using the EORTC QLQ-C30 [8]. Stephenson et al [8] 17 Refractory advanced solid tumors (stage III–IV; colon, pancreas, breast, etc.)
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