ascorbic-acid and Pulmonary-Embolism

Preclinical data support further investigation of ascorbic acid in pancreatic cancer. There are currently insufficient safety data in human subjects, particularly when ascorbic acid is combined with chemotherapy.. 14 subjects with metastatic stage IV pancreatic cancer were recruited to receive an eight week cycle of intravenous ascorbic acid (three infusions per week), using a dose escalation design, along with standard treatment of gemcitabine and erlotinib. Of 14 recruited subjects enrolled, nine completed the study (three in each dosage tier). There were fifteen non-serious adverse events and eight serious adverse events, all likely related to progression of disease or treatment with gemcitabine or erlotinib. Applying RECIST 1.0 criteria, seven of the nine subjects had stable disease while the other two had progressive disease.. These initial safety data do not reveal increased toxicity with the addition of ascorbic acid to gemcitabine and erlotinib in pancreatic cancer patients. This, combined with the observed response to treatment, suggests the need for a phase II study of longer duration.. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00954525.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Ascorbic Acid; Deoxycytidine; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Administration Schedule; Erlotinib Hydrochloride; Female; Gemcitabine; Humans; Infusions, Intravenous; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Metastasis; Neoplasm Staging; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Pulmonary Embolism; Quinazolines; Treatment Outcome

Chelation therapy originally was administered exclusively to patients with heavy metal poisoning. Now some physicians are administering this therapy for numerous conditions, most commonly coronary heart disease. A 64-year-old man experienced impaired warfarin anticoagulation after undergoing chelation therapy His international normalized ratio (INR) fell from 2.6 the day before to 1.6 the day after therapy was administered. Whether chelation therapy decreases the effectiveness of warfarin anticoagulation is uncertain. However, because of this potential interaction, clinicians should consider increased INR monitoring in patients undergoing chelation therapy.

Topics: Anticoagulants; Ascorbic Acid; Blood Coagulation; Chelation Therapy; Drug Interactions; Edetic Acid; Humans; International Normalized Ratio; Male; Middle Aged; Pulmonary Embolism; Warfarin