Can High-Dose vitamin c boost chemo against pancreatic cancer?

NCT ID NCT02905578

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 23, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This phase II trial tests whether adding high-dose vitamin C (ascorbate) to standard chemotherapy (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel) can help people with metastatic pancreatic cancer live longer. About 40 participants are randomly assigned to receive either standard chemo alone or chemo plus vitamin C. The study measures overall survival, tumor response, and side effects to see if the combination is more effective.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
high-dose vitamin C (ascorbate) given alongside gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel chemotherapy
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a more effective treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer, a disease with very poor survival.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-phase trial, so results may not apply broadly. High-dose vitamin C can cause kidney stones or other side effects when given intravenously.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

40 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Nov 2018

Finished

Aug 2024

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Pathologic diagnosis (cell samples, biopsy, brushing, surgical sample) of adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Cancer from the Ampullae of Vater is also eligible. The tissue sample can be from a metastatic location, like a lymph node. * Metastatic or node positive disease * One cancer site, that did not receive radiation therapy, that is at least 1 cm in size when looking at it by CT scan (CAT scan) * Recommended to receive gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel * Failed initial therapy or be ineligible for definitive curative therapy (e.g., surgical excision, radiation therapy) * A platelet count of at least 100,000 cells per mL * A creatinine level of less than 1 1/2 times the upper limit of normal for the local lab test, or, a creatinine clearance of at least 60 mL/(min\*1.73m2) * Not pregnant * Commit to using birth control during the study (all participants) Exclusion Criteria: * Prior chemotherapy to treat the metastatic disease * Other therapy (including radiation) within the past 4 weeks * Side effects from prior therapies that are still deemed moderate to severe by a physician * Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency * Patients actively receiving insulin or who are currently recommended to receive insulin by a doctor * Patients requiring daily finger-stick blood glucose measurements * Patients who are on the following drugs and cannot have a substitution (or who decline the substitution): * warfarin * flecainide * methadone * amphetamines * quinidine * chlorpropamide * An active cancer, other than the pancreatic cancer, that requires treatment. * Enrolled in another therapeutic clinical trial * Uncontrolled, intercurrent illness * HIV positive individuals undergoing therapy due to known drug:drug interaction between antiretroviral drugs and high-dose ascorbate therapy * Women who are nursing

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States

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