Question: A neighbor has pulmonary nodules or tumors and is taking intravenous vitamin C in large doses. Is that effective?
Dr. Hibberd's Answer:
Intravenous vitamin C for pulmonary nodules is an unconventional treatment. It is reserved for special situations and is not generally available or recommended.
Intravenous or injected vitamin C is used when the patients may not be able to absorb oral vitamin C, or for acute vitamin C deficiency. Doses over 2 grams daily may cause diarrhea. Caution is indicated for diabetics, patients prone to kidney stones, those on sodium restricted diets, and those taking anticoagulants.
High dose vitamin C has been used by some centers as a chemotherapy supplement in high doses (10-20 grams per day) with reports it may be toxic to tumor cells while leaving healthy cells intact. Some reports have claimed that intravenous vitamin C caused remission in pulmonary and renal tumors, but the successes are anecdotal and not sufficiently controlled for inclusion in conventional therapy treatments.
Linus Pauling [a noted biochemist] believed very strongly in the tumor fighting power of Vitamin C without much conventional acceptance. It would have been wonderful to see this agent as an effective tool if for no reason other than its low cost of administration and relative safety under supervised treatment regimens.
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