Intravenous vitamin C administration improves quality of life in breast cancer patients during chemo-/radiotherapy and aftercare: results of a retrospective, multicentre, epidemiological cohort study in Germany.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Retrospective non-randomized controlled cohort study.
What was done
A retrospective multicenter cohort study evaluated 125 women with UICC stage IIa to IIIb breast cancer treated across 15 practices in Germany during their first postoperative year. Fifty-three patients received intravenous vitamin C (7.5 g) alongside standard chemotherapy or radiotherapy for at least 4 weeks, while 72 patients received standard therapy alone. Investigators assessed disease- and treatment-related symptom severity during adjuvant therapy and aftercare.
What was found
Intravenous vitamin C administration was associated with reductions in nausea, appetite loss, fatigue, depression, sleep disturbance, dizziness, and hemorrhagic diathesis. After adjustment for age and baseline symptom intensity, the overall symptom score during adjuvant therapy and aftercare was nearly twice as high in the control group compared to the vitamin C group. No side effects were documented for vitamin C. Exact numerical scores, confidence intervals, and p-values were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This study suggests that adjunctive intravenous vitamin C is well tolerated and may mitigate common treatment-related toxicities in women undergoing adjuvant breast cancer therapy.
Limits
The retrospective, non-randomized design carries substantial risk of selection bias and confounding by indication. The sample size is modest, treatment allocation was not blinded, and the abstract omits exact numerical data, confidence intervals, and long-term oncological outcomes such as recurrence or survival.
Cited by
- supports An observational study of 125 breast cancer patients found that receiving 7.5 grams of intravenous vitamin C once weekly alongside chemotherapy and radiation improved quality of life compared to standard therapy alone.