l-Ascorbic acid may be of clinical benefit in Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndromes. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Depletion of L-ascorbic acid alternating with its supplementation in the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes.
Eur J Haematol. 2009 Mar 5. PMID: 19284416
Purpose: L-ascorbic acid (LAA) modifies the in vitro growth of leukemic cells from approximately 50% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). To test the hypothesis that depletion of LAA, alternating with supplementation to prevent scurvy, would provide therapeutic benefit, a single-arm pilot trial was conducted (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00329498). Experimental results: During depletion phase, patients with refractory AML or MDS were placed on a diet deficient in LAA; during supplementation phase, patients received daily intravenous administration of LAA. An in vitro assay was performed pre-therapy for LAA sensitivity of leukemic cells from individual patients. Results: Of 18 patients enrolled, 8 of 16 evaluable patients demonstrated a clinical response. Responses were obtained during depletion (4 patients) as well as during supplementation (5 patients) but at a pharmacologic plasma level achievable only with intravenous administration. Of nine patients for whom the in vitro assay indicated their leukemic cells were sensitive to LAA, seven exhibited a clinical response; compared to none of six patients that were insensitive to LAA. Conclusions: The clinical benefit, along with a conspicuous absence of significant adverse events, suggests that further testing of LAA depletion alternating with pharmacologic dose intravenous supplementation in patients with these and other malignancies is warranted.