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The relationship between cancer, radiotherapy and vitamin C

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Summary

LEUCOCYTE and plasma ascorbic acid concentrations were estimated in ten cancer patients and in six control subjects prior to, and at the end of, a course of radiotherapy.

The control group consisted of six female subjects with an age range of 40–69 years. Their underlying pathological lesion had been carcinoma of the breast which was treated by simple mastectomy and a course of routine prophylactic radiotherapy. The control subjects had no evidence of active disease on physical examination. The ages of the ten cancer patients ranged from 40–76 years. They were suffering from carcinoma of the lung (3 cases), bladder tumour (2 cases) and cancer of the tongue and buccal region (5 cases).

Before radiotherapy, ascorbic acid concentrations in the leucocytes were significantly lower in the cancer patients than in the control subjects. After radiotherapy, the leucocyte and plasma ascorbic acid concentrations did not differ significantly between the two groups. There was a significent rise in leucocyte and in plasma ascorbic acid concentrations in the cancer patients after radiotherapy. Ascorbic acid values in the control subjects did not alter following radiotherapy. No alteration in the dietary intake of ascorbic acid was observed in either group during the period of investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2

    S. C. Kakar, C. W. M. Wilson & M. J. Moriarty

  2. St. Luke’s Hospital, Dublin 6

    S. C. Kakar, C. W. M. Wilson & M. J. Moriarty

Authors
  1. S. C. Kakar
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  2. C. W. M. Wilson
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  3. M. J. Moriarty
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Kakar, S.C., Wilson, C.W.M. & Moriarty, M.J. The relationship between cancer, radiotherapy and vitamin C. Ir J Med Sci 146, 289–294 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03030977

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