|
|
|
|
Vitamin C and Chemotherapy |
|
Chemo and Vit. C |
|
[NOTE: Additional information on natural cancer therapies, including vitamin C, will be found in I Have Cancer: What Should I Do? by Michael Gonzalez, Jorge Miranda-Massari, and Andrew W. Saul
Learn more here.]
(Reprinted with permission
of the author and the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, 911 Tyler
Street, Pt. Townsend WA 98368; (360) 385-6021) The idea that the use of
antioxidants decreases the efficacy of chemotherapy is being used more and
more by orthodox oncologists. It is based upon their hypothesis that anything
which decreases the oxidant effect of drugs will decrease the efficacy of
chemotherapy. More and more I hear this from my patients after they are
diagnosed and chemotherapy is discussed with them by their oncologists. This
opinion is not universal, but my guess is that about 75% of oncologists hold
this view. Their view is that
chemotherapy destroys tumor tissue because it introduces powerful oxidation
products, free radicals, and that anything which decreases that must
interfere with treatment. They know they are using sub-lethal amounts of
toxic compounds which would never pass FDA standards in any different
context. The aim is to kill all the tumor tissue without killing all the
other tissues in the body. This is always a close call. Therefore, since
vitamin C is a good antioxidant it must not be given with chemotherapy. One
of my patients was told by his oncologist that if he took vitamin C he would
not be given any chemotherapy. Well, what are the facts?
The first fact is that there are no clinical series which show that patients
given vitamin C and chemotherapy fare worse than those not given this
vitamin. On the contrary, all the published series show just the opposite. I
have treated over 1,100 cases with large doses of vitamin C and most of them
had chemotherapy.(1-4) I have examined the follow up data and find that the
mean difference on prolongation of life was heavily in favor of the use of
the vitamins. In the first series I published with Linus Pauling those
patients on my program lived 10 to 20 times as long as the patients not
receiving the vitamin. Recently Kedar N. Prasad
et al. (5) after reviewing 71 scientific papers, found no evidence that
antioxidants did interfere with the therapeutic effect of chemotherapy and,
on the contrary, suggest the hypothesis that it would increase the efficacy.
He is properly cautious, but anyone reading his paper knows that it is clear
the probability that these antioxidants prevent the therapeutic activity of
chemotherapy is very low, and the probability that they do the opposite, i.e
enhance the action of these toxic drugs, is relatively high. Prasad et al.
(6) concluded, "Antioxidants such as retinoids, vitamin E, vitamin C and
carotenoids inhibit the growth of cancer cells. These antioxidants
individually, and in combination, enhance the effects of x-irradiation,
chemotherapeutic agents, and certain biological response modifiers such as
hyperthermia, sodium butyrate and interferon, on cancer cells. Antioxidants
individually protect normal cells against some of the toxicities produced by
these therapeutic agents. Therefore, the fear of oncologists and radiation
therapists that these antioxidants may protect cancer cells against free
radicals that are generated by these agents is unfounded. It should be
pointed out that other antioxidants such as sulfhydryl compounds will protect
cancer cells at least against radiation damage. This is not true for any of
the proposed antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids." Even earlier Charles B.
Simone et al. (7) on the basis of a large number of clinical studies (he also
examined 71 scientific papers) came to the same conclusion. He reported,
"In a recent study of 50 patients with early-stage breast cancer I
evaluated the treatment side effects of radiation alone, or radiation
combined with chemotherapy, while the patients took therapeutic doses of
nutrients. Patients also followed the Simone Ten Point Plan. Patients were
asked to evaluate their own response to the treatment in terms of its impact
on their quality of life. The results of the study were impressive:
"More than 90% of both groups noted improvement in their physical
symptoms, cognitive ability, performance, sexual function, general well-being
and life satisfaction. Not one subject in either group reported a worsening
of symptoms." He concluded, "...cancer patients should modify their
lifestyles using the Ten Point Plan, which included modifying nutritional
factors and taking certain vitamins and minerals especially if they are
receiving chemotherapy, and/or radiation." (my emphasis) Labriola et al. (8)
concluded that vitamin C may prevent the therapeutic effect of chemotherapy
if given concurrently and recommended that antioxidants be withheld until
after the chemotherapy is completed. It is not clear whether they meant that
the antioxidants should be withheld throughout the entire series of chemotherapy
sessions or that it should be withheld only for the day that chemotherapy is
being given. If the latter is his suggestion, there is no harm done to the
patients. Most of them cannot take anything, including vitamins, during these
sessions. He based his conclusion on one case which suggested this had
happened and upon a hypothetical examination of the role of free radicals and
antioxidants on the action of chemotherapy on cancer cells. His report elicited two
rebuttals, Reilly (9) and Gignac. (10) I will not repeat the arguments, but
it was evident that Dr. Labriola was not convinced by the points put forward
by Reilly and Gignac. I think the factoid repeated by Dr. Labriola would have
a much better chance of becoming a fact if he had considered the following
points: ONE: What is the
therapeutic value of chemotherapy without any antioxidants? Even within the
field of standard oncology there is a debate whether chemotherapy has any
merit except for a small number of cancers (Moss). (11) Before one can claim
that a treatment has been inhibited, surely there must be pretty good
evidence that the treatment has any merit to begin with. It is possible (we
do not know the probability for this) that chemotherapy interferes with the
therapeutic value of the antioxidants. Almost all the studies testing large
doses of vitamin C yielded positive results while there is no such unanimity
with respect to chemotherapy. TWO: The difference
between possibility and probability. Most people do not distinguish between
these two. Theoretically anything is possible, and it is certainly possible
that taking vitamin C might prevent the toxic “beneficial” effect of
chemotherapy. In the same way when one buys a lottery ticket, it is possible
they may win. People confuse these two terms, which is why lotteries are so
popular. The real statistic is the probability. What is the probability that
patients receiving vitamin C during their chemotherapy will not fare as well?
The lottery ticket may give one a probability of winning of one in a million,
and the possibility that vitamin C may prevent the therapeutic effect of
chemotherapy may be equally low. We can only assume from the literature
reviewed by Simone, by Prasad, by Lamson and Brignall, and more recently by
Moss (12) that the real probability must be extremely low. As I have pointed
out earlier, I have seen no evidence that adding vitamin C inhibited the
therapeutic effect of chemotherapy. Just the opposite. Patients on my
orthomolecular program live substantially longer and about 40% achieved over
four year cure rates.(13) THREE: If he had not
tried to bolster his argument by referring so frequently to the peer-reviewed
journal in which his paper appeared. This is certainly no guarantee of fact.
The first factoid that vitamin C caused kidney stones appeared in eminently
peer-reviewed journals. All the factoids regarding vitamins appeared first in
peer-reviewed journals. You may recall Linus Pauling's joke that peers are
people who pee together. I can assure you that articles attacking the use of
vitamins have very ready access to peer-reviewed journals, but they would not
have accepted their report had they tried to conclude from one patient that
vitamin C taken during chemotherapy was therapeutic. This would not even be
sent to the peer review committee because they do not accept anecdotes -
unless of course they become scientific when they contain something adverse
against vitamins. FOUR: Moss points out
that oncologists have no objection to using xenobiotic antioxidants during
chemotherapy. This includes Amifostine which decreases the toxicity of
radiation but is too toxic on its own and is not used; Mesna, a drug used
around the world to protect against the toxic side effects of ifosfamide
which damages the urinary system; and Cardiozane, which counters Adriamycin's
toxicity. There are over 500 papers showing the safety of the latter drug. In
one clinical trial using a drug similar to Adriamycin, one-quarter of the
patients suffered damage to their hearts. When given Cardiozane concurrently
only 7% did. Thus it appears that only orthomolecular or natural antioxidants
are potentially dangerous. Synthetic antioxidants protect against the toxic
effect of drugs but do not increase their therapeutic value. In sharp
contrast, natural antioxidants not only protect against the toxic effect of
drugs but also increase their efficacy in destroying cancer cells. FIVE: Dr. Labriola
emphasizes that long term studies must be used. I agree, and for this reason
I followed up my patients since 1977. In my series, hardly any patients
receiving chemotherapy but not antioxidants survived very long. But
chemotherapy is used by many oncologists who know it will not extend life,
because there is nothing else that they can do and they feel they have to do
something. A. Hoffer MD PhD
References 2. Hoffer A & Pauling
L: Hardin Jones biostatistical analysis of mortality data for a second set of
cohorts of cancer patients with a large fraction surviving at the termination
of the study and a comparison of survival times of cancer patients receiving
large regular oral doses of vitamin C and other nutrients with similar
patients not receiving these doses. J of Orthomolecular Medicine, 8:1547-167,
1993. 3. Hoffer A:
Orthomolecular Oncology. In, Adjuvant Nutrition in Cancer Treatment, Eds. P
Quillin & RM Williams. 1992 Symposium Proceedings, Sponsored by Cancer
Treatment Research Foundation and 4. Hoffer A. One Patient's
Recovery From Lymphoma. Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients #160:50-51,
1996. 5. Prasad KN, Kumar A,
Kochupillai V & Cole WC. High Doses of Multiple Antioxidant Vitamins:
Essential Ingredients in Improving the Efficacy of Standard Cancer Therapy. 6. Prasad KN, Cole WC
& Prasad JE. Multiple Antioxidant Vitamins as an Adjunct to Standard and
Experimental Cancer Therapies. Z.Onkol/J. of Oncol 31:1201-1078, 1999. 7. Simone CB, Simone NL
& Simone CB. Nutrients and Cancer Treatment. International Journal of
Integrative Medicine 1:20-24, 1999. 8. Labriola D & 9. Reilly P. Dr.
Labriola's Editorial on Antioxidants and Chemotherapy, Townsend Letter for
Doctors and Patients Feb/Mar 2000, 90-91.
10. Gignac MA.
Antioxidants and Chemotherapy. What You Need to Know Before 11. Moss RW. Questioning
Chemotherapy. Equinox Press, 12. Moss RW. Antioxidants
Against Cancer. Equinox Presss Inc. 13. Hoffer A. Vitamin C
and Cancer. Quarry Press, |
|
|
AN IMPORTANT NOTE: This page is not in any way offered as prescription, diagnosis nor treatment for any disease, illness, infirmity or physical condition. Any form of self-treatment or alternative health program necessarily must involve an individual's acceptance of some risk, and no one should assume otherwise. Persons needing medical care should obtain it from a physician. Consult your doctor before making any health decision. Neither the author nor the webmaster has authorized the use of their names or the use of any material contained within in connection with the sale, promotion or advertising of any product or apparatus. Single-copy reproduction for individual, non-commercial use is permitted providing no alterations of content are made, and credit is given. |
|
|
|
|
| Home | Order my Books | About the Author | Contact Us | Webmaster | |
