Dr. Lemmo provides a range of intravenous treatments.

Intravenous Glutathione in Cancer Treatment

Glutathione is a tri-peptide thiol (sulfhydryl-containing) compound which is the major intracellular antioxidant in the body. A human study suggests oral glutathione is poorly absorbed, with negligible plasma concentrations found after administration of a single 3 g oral dose.

This conclusion is contradicted by a rat study which found dietary glutathione was absorbed in a dose-dependent manner, and remained elevated in the plasma for three hours after administration. Aerosol administration of glutathione is an effective means of delivery to the plasma, as is intravenous administration. Glutathione is thought to be non-toxic to humans, although one study found a 5 g oral daily dose was associated with stomach irritation and sulfur odor.

A case report from Japan in 1984 raised the possibility that glutathione might be an effective treatment for hepato-cellular carcinoma. A trial of six hepato-carcinoma patients on 5 g oral glutathione daily found regression or stagnation of tumor growth in three patients. One patient also had a reduction in alpha-fetoprotein (a tumor marker) from 496 to 5. Two patients of the six survived for one year. These patients were both women, raising the possibility of a sex-dependent effect.

In a rat study, oral administration of glutathione caused regression of liver tumors, and increased survival of tumor-bearing animals. The usefulness of glutathione as an anti-tumor agent may be limited to the liver, kidney, and peripheral neurons, as these are the only tissues believed to have sufficient transport enzymes for cellular uptake.

Glutathione with Radiation

A randomized pilot trial with 45 participants investigated the radioprotective effect of glutathione. Patients were administered 1200 mg glutathione or saline placebo intravenously 15 minutes prior to pelvic radiotherapy. Patients receiving glutathione suffered less from post-therapy diarrhea (28%, compared to 52% of controls) and were more likely to complete the treatment cycle (71% to 52%). Although the sample size was too small to show significance, the authors concluded glutathione was unlikely to interfere with the effect of radiation on cancers. The argument was not based on patient outcome.

Glutathione with Chemotherapy

The use of cisplatin (chemotherapy) and glutathione concurrently has been studied in several small human trials. One human trial found 3,000mg/m² of intravenous glutathione given 20 minutes prior to cisplatin (100 mg/m²) led to a significant reduction in nephrotoxicity in patients with ovarian cancer compared with those receiving cisplatin alone. There was a trend toward greater tumor response in the glutathione group--73 percent, compared to 62 percent in the control group. A similar trial using smaller doses of glutathione (2500 mg/m²) and cisplatin (50 - 75 mg/m²) did not find the reduction in nephrotoxicity reported above. However, the trend toward greater tumor response with glutathione treatment (72% response, compared to 52% in controls) was comparable.

A double-blind trial studied the neuro-protective effect of intravenous glutathione (1500 mg/m²) during cisplatin treatment for gastric cancer. After nine weeks, no patient of the 24 receiving glutathione, but 16 of 18 patients receiving placebo, had developed neuropathy symptoms. Again, a trend toward greater tumor response (76%, compared to 52% in controls) was seen with glutathione treatment.

Newer Research

August 23, 2002 - Glutathione protects against the neurotoxicity of oxaliplatin, a relatively new chemotherapeutic used in the treatment of colorectal and other cancers, according to the results of a randomized controlled trial reported in the Aug. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Even better, this in-expensive antioxidant does not adversely affect the effectiveness of oxaliplatin.

"The lack of toxicity and interference with oxaliplatin activity, as well as its low economic cost, makes glutathione an ideal new drug for the prevention of oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy in colorectal cancer patients," write Stefano Cascinu, MD, and colleagues from the Universitaria di Parma in Italy.

References

1. J Clin Oncol. 2002;20(16):3478-3483

Intravenous Vitamin C & Cancer

Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) is considered the most studied and yet the most controversial vitamin in history. It has been subjected to numerous research studies throughout the years. There are documented claims that Vitamin C provides benefit for heart disease, schizophrenia, diabetes, autoimmune disease, helping fight infections, cancer, and more. In fact there are virtually no areas in medicine where Vitamin C has not been used or studied at one point in time.

The highest amounts of Vitamin C in the body are found in the adrenal glands, brain, liver, spleen, pancreas and kidney for unknown reasons. White blood cells (which help fight infections) have 10 to 30 times higher amounts of Vitamin C than the blood! One area in medicine where Vitamin C thrives in controversy is in the field of cancer. Nobel Prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling and oncologist Dr. Cameron popularized the use of Vitamin C in cancer during the 1970s.

There have been some impressive positive findings noted with this vitamin when used correctly for cancer (i.e. dramatic cancer-killing ability, increased survival of patients) followed by some widely publicized "failures". In fact, there are two commonly referenced research papers that have largely criticized the use of Vitamin C therapy in cancer. However, these negative research papers contained several major "differences or mistakes" when compared to the original work published by Pauling & Cameron.

One of the differences involves how Vitamin C was given to cancer patients. For example, the original research papers by Cameron & Pauling used intravenous Vitamin C followed by high doses by mouth. None of the two negative research papers used intravenous Vitamin C! It is now believed that for Vitamin C to have any cancer-fighting abilities, high blood levels are needed first! The only ways to raise Vitamin C high enough in the blood is possible through injections and not by pill or powder form.

To provide you with a real-life example of this situation, imagine you are trying to put out a house fire with plain old water. But instead of using a powerful fire hose, a simple cup is used. You could imagine the problems in trying to put out the roaring house fire (if at all) with the cup of water. Consequently, if this were a research project the findings would clearly show that "water is not effective for putting out fires"! As you can see there is a major design "mistake" in this case. The same is true about the negative research on Vitamin C and cancer. You need high enough levels of Vitamin C in the blood to help calm the roaring cancer with in the body. Oral high doses of Vitamin C may help support the body at some level but by using appropriate doses of intravenous injections, the therapy has an ability to directly fight cancer cells & tumors!

Why Intravenous Vitamin C Is An Important Option For Cancer Patients

• Correction of any possible Vitamin C deficiency (i.e. fatigue, bleeding)
• Enhanced immune system (interferon, IL-2, others)
• Support white blood cells (have 10 to 30 times higher levels than blood!)
• Stimulation of collagen formation (wall off tumors)
• Inhibition of hyaluronidase (prevents tumor spread)
• Enhanced wound healing after surgery
• Possible enhancement of Erythropoietin (EPO)
• Anti-inflammatory
• Pain reliefAnti-stress & anti-depressant properties

In general, Vitamin C is extremely supportive of the entire body, while having the ability to directly kill cancer cells.

A. Some Basic Facts About Vitamin C

• Circulating white blood cells have between 10 to 30 times higher levels of Vitamin C than the blood
• It is difficult to attain high blood levels of Vitamin C orally due to a high kidney clearance
• Vitamin C is readily & easily used with in the body (it is easy to deplete)
• Vitamin C blood levels (greater than 3 mg/dl) better correlates to increased overall survival time in cancer patients
• High blood levels of Vitamin C (between 200 to 400 mg/dl) can kill tumor cells, however, this is only possible through injection in humans
• Vitamin C appears to kill cancer cells by increasing intracellular hydrogen peroxide which is aided by the low levels of the enzyme catalase found in cancer cells

B. The Early Research On Vitamin C & Cancer Treatment

The Vale of Leven Studies

in November 1971 at a hospital in Scotland, 50 patients received 10 grams of Vitamin C (Intravenous + oral). Note that this intravenous dose of Vitamin C is considered low based on the current understanding of this therapy.

• 27 individuals experienced minimal or no response
• 11 individuals experienced retardation of tumor growth
• 3 individuals experienced stopped tumor growth
• 5 individuals experienced shrinking of tumors

Symptoms and clinical evidence of tumor mass disappeared. These include clearance of intestinal obstruction, disappearance of palpable mass, relief of obstructive jaundice, and disappearance of x-ray metastasis on bone.

• 4 individuals experienced hemorrhage & necrosis of tumors (or massive cancer killing!)

In a follow-Up study, 100 cancer patients treated with both intravenous & oral Vitamin C were compared with 1,000 cancer patients who did not. 90% of the Vitamin C treated group lived 3 times longer. The other 10%, could not be determined because they were still alive! In most cases there was subjective improvement.

• Increased feeling of well-being
• Increased energy
• More alertness
• Decrease or elimination of pain
• Increased appetite

The Cameron & Campbell Observation

during a 4.5 year period, 1978 to 1982, computerized records of all cancer patients attending 3 district hospitals in West Central Scotland were analyzed. Analysis showed that those incurable cancer patients who had been given Vitamin C (intravenous & oral) lived almost 2 times longer (343 days versus 180 days) as compared to non Vitamin C users. The higher the Vitamin C levels in the blood, the greater the survival time (over 3mg/dl is desirable). These findings were rejected by several medical journals, including Cancer Research, Lancet, NEJM, Cancer Research (again), AJE, and BMJ. Over three years had passed.

C. How Intravenous Vitamin C Is Used

Initial intravenous Vitamin C therapy is given 2 to 5 times per week for 4 weeks. The duration, dose, and frequency of treatments are catered to each individual case, the severity of the cancer, the type of cancer, and according to laboratory test results. To first time patients, 10 grams (or 10,000 mg) of Vitamin C is administered in over a 1-hour time period to determine tolerance to treatment.

The Vitamin C doses are then increased in increments of 10 grams or greater per treatment. The maximum Vitamin C dose can safely surpass 50 grams of Vitamin C given over a 1 to 2-hour period. Doses over 100 grams (100,000 mg) have been well tolerated in selected and aggressive cancer cases.

Other important nutrients are also added to the intravenous protocol to help enhance Vitamin C effectiveness and to further support the body. Oral Vitamin C should be continued indefinitely while undergoing treatment. Intravenous boosters are recommended at the first suspicion of a negative change (i.e. metastasis, infection).

D. Safety of IVC

Intravenous Vitamin C has a high safety margin and low risk profile. There may be a rare risk of a drastic massive tumor killing phenomenon in cancer patients which in turn may put a person at risk for severe shock. This is why low doses of Vitamin C are given to patients in the initial stages of treatment. There may be a rare chance of "stressing" the renal system in patients with existing renal failure or in patients with severe kidney diseases. This is why, at the office, we perform a thorough laboratory analysis to help determine and minimize any potential risk(s) To date, no adverse reactions have occurred at the office while giving intravenous Vitamin C treatment to patients.

Please visit Dr. Lemmo's dedicated Vitamin C page to learn more about the research behind Vitamin C's application in cancer care.

Other IV Treatments

• Hydrogen Peroxide IV
• Ukrain IV
• Ozone IV
• Myer's Cocktail IV
• Chelation
• DMSO IV