High Dose Intravenous Vitamin C and Radiation Therapy of Breast Cancer an update

Radiation Therapy is an integral part of the oncology treatment of Breast Cancer. Radiation Therapy is used for an early stage of Breast Cancer as an adjuvant treatment after either Breast Conservative Surgery or Mastectomy. Any interventions that improve the results or reduce the toxicities of Radiation therapy in Breast Cancer deserve further consideration and research. The topic of today is the High Dose Intravenous Vitamin C and Radiation Therapy of Breast Cancer an update.

In 2020, Park H et al published a research article on the Effect of High Dose Intravenous Vitamin C During Radiotherapy on Breast Cancer Patients' Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio. In the Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine.

Before going into the details of this research, we need to understand the meaning and significance of the Neutrophil – Lymphocyte Ratio for Breast Cancer Patients. Simply, Neutrophils and Lymphocytes are two different types of immune cells each has its function for the immune system. Neutrophils help us fight bacteria and lymphocytes fight against viruses and cancer cells. The ratio between the Neutrophils and Lymphocytes normally ranges between 1-3. Having a higher Neutrophil count should increase this ratio. Elevated Neutrophils/ Lymphocytes ratio (N/L ratio) in Breast Cancer Patients could indicate a state of inflammation, and from the cancer biology standpoint, increased inflammation can be a strong trigger for cancer growth and or spread.

In this research, a comparison was done between Breast Cancer Patients who received twice-weekly high-dose intravenous vitamin C and those who did not receive it regarding the N/L ratio during the Radiation Therapy Course.

In this research, 424 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer and were treated with Postoperative Radiotherapy at Kosin University Gospel Hospital from January 2011 to December 2017. 70 patients received high dose intravenous vitamin C twice weekly and 354 did not receive vitamin C.

At the end of this research, it was found that the majority of patients who received the High Dose of Intravenous Vitamin C showed a Low N/L ratio while a much smaller number of those who did not receive the High Dose of Vitamin C had a lower N/L ratio.

In conclusion, the twice-weekly administration of the High Dose Intravenous Vitamin C can greatly reduce inflammation (by reducing the N/L ratio for Breast Cancer Patients during Radiation Therapy and knowing that reduced inflammation can potentially reduce the mortality rates among Breast Cancer patients makes it appealing to pursue more research on the use of the high dose Intravenous Vitamin C for Breast Cancer Patients during Radiation Therapy.

For more information and details about this research, you can check this link https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/acm.2020.0138 

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