Can High-Dose vitamin c boost chemo against pancreatic cancer?
NCT ID NCT02905578
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
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Nov 2018
- Finished
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Aug 2024
- Lead sponsor
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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
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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