Remember Linus Pauling in the 1970’s?

Dr. Pauling is famous for his work in chemistry and in peace advocacy.  With vitamin C, he promoted mega dosing (very large amounts) as therapy for numerous conditions including cancer.  His advocacy was controversial and rejected by mainstream medicine at that time, labeling him a “quack.”  For an interesting read about his life, look him up on Wikipedia.

Once dismissed, high-dose vitamin C has now found its way back and is proving to be a very effective cancer therapy according to researchers at the University of Iowa College of Medicine.  Working with cancers that are a sure death sentence, remarkable results have been obtained.  Adding intravenous high dose vitamin C to standard cancer fighting drugs has doubled the survival rate (from 8 to 16 months) for patients with stage 4 (the most advanced) pancreatic cancer that had already spread.  Further findings showed progression-free (no worsening) survival stretched from three to six months.  Many patients also reported feeling better and reported less side effects from their standard chemotherapies.  What does that mean for a patient?  Final days with a better quality of life.  A chance to see a grandchild born, a graduation or a marriage; a chance to put their affairs in better order.

Vitamin C given intravenously builds up much higher blood levels than when it is administered orally.  Given orally, the kidneys will shift into “high gear” to get rid of vitamin C faster than it can be absorbed, and the gut will also undo vitamin C build up by shifting to a decreased passage of the oral C into the blood stream.  At higher IV doses, those problems are overcome and the vitamin C level increases in the blood stream. Cancer cells become more vulnerable to chemotherapy and radiation.  Three of the patients in the University of Iowa study are now considered long-term survivors, living 9 years after diagnosis.   

The task now becomes studying the effects of C on different types of cancers and defining an appropriate dose of the vitamin for each.  Trials are now under way for using vitamin C to treat glioblastoma (brain tumor).  Vitamin C is proving to be a very effective treatment and is low cost (hundreds of dollars) in comparison to immunotherapy treatments (thousands of dollars).

I would advise patients with a new cancer diagnosis to broach the subject of the usefulness of IV vitamin C therapy in a discussion with their personal oncologist.  Our personal physicians know what course is best for us; new data is available almost monthly in this rapidly advancing field and it could prove to be of benefit.                                        

Medical tip from Charles Driscoll, MD, Surgeon General for Virginia SAR

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1. Thomas, J Medicine Iowa, “C” To Believe, April 2025.