Written based on 27 research studies on PubMed, searched on 2026. nov. 11..
The claim
Posts online say that vitamin C (incl. high-dose) helps with lung cancer.
Where research stands
We found 94 published papers on vitamin C (incl. high-dose) and lung cancer. They were published between 1974 and 2026. 7 of them are studies in people. 4 of them compared people who got it with a group that did not. 33 were studies in animals, and 18 were only in cells in the lab. 7 papers are reviews that sum up other studies. 1 new study in people is running or will start soon, say the trial registers.
- 7In people4 with a comparison group
- 33In animals
- 18Only in the lab
What the studies found
We have not summed up these studies in words yet. The most important papers are listed under Sources.
Verdict
Vitamin C (incl. high-dose) has been tested in randomised trials in people with lung cancer.
What this means for you: A study in people is not proof that it helps you. Do not stop or change your medicines because of it. Ask your doctor before you start taking it.
Sources
- A randomized phase II trial of best supportive care with or without hyperthermia and vitamin C for heavily pretreated, advanced, refractory non-small-cell lung cancer.2020 · J Adv Res · Randomised trial
- The safety and pharmacokinetics of high dose intravenous ascorbic acid synergy with modulated electrohyperthermia in Chinese patients with stage III-IV non-small cell lung cancer.2017 · Eur J Pharm Sci · Randomised trial
- Vitamin E supplementation may transiently increase tuberculosis risk in males who smoke heavily and have high dietary vitamin C intake.2008 · Br J Nutr · Randomised trial
- A pilot study on the use of plasma carotenoids and ascorbic acid as markers of compliance to a high fruit and vegetable dietary intervention.1994 · Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev · Randomised trial
- Pharmacological ascorbate improves the response to platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer.2022 · Redox Biol · Study in people
- O2⋅- and H2O2-Mediated Disruption of Fe Metabolism Causes the Differential Susceptibility of NSCLC and GBM Cancer Cells to Pharmacological Ascorbate.2017 · Cancer Cell · Study in people
- [The impact of ascorbic acid on the concentrations of antioxidative vitamins in the plasma of patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing first-line chemotherapy].2013 · Pol Merkur Lekarski · Study in people
- Dietary and supplementary vitamin C intake and the risk of lung cancer: A meta‑analysis of cohort studies.2024 · Oncol Lett · Review
- The effects of vitamin C on respiratory, allergic and immunological diseases: an experimental and clinical-based review.2023 · Inflammopharmacology · Review
- Association between vitamin C intake and lung cancer: a dose-response meta-analysis.2014 · Sci Rep · Review
- Ascorbate depletion: a critical step in nickel carcinogenesis?2005 · Environ Health Perspect · Review
- Epidemiologic evidence regarding vitamin C and cancer.1991 · Am J Clin Nutr · Review
- Clinical pharmacological aspects of ascorbic acid.1975 · Ann N Y Acad Sci · Review
- Modulation of G6PD-mediated Vitamin C Sensitivity in Small Cell Lung Cancer by the AKT/NRF2 axis.2026 · J Biol Chem · In animals
- High-Dose Ascorbic Acid Combined With Dihydroartemisinin Inhibits Lung Adenocarcinoma Malignancy by Inducing Ferroptosis via SLC7A11/GPX4 Pathway.2025 · J Cell Mol Med · In animals
- High-dose ascorbic acid selectively induces pyroptosis in LKB1-deficient lung cancer and sensitizes immunotherapy.2025 · Cell Rep Med · In animals
- Pharmacological ascorbate combined with rucosopasem selectively radio-chemo-sensitizes NSCLC via generation of H2O2.2025 · Redox Biol · In animals
- High-dose ascorbic acid synergizes with anti-PD1 therapy in non-small cell lung cancer in vitro and in vivo models.2024 · Front Immunol · In animals
- Vitamin C Inhibited Pulmonary Metastasis through Activating Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway.2024 · Mol Nutr Food Res · In animals
- Iron-oxide nanoparticles selectively enhance the toxicity of pharmacological ascorbate through hydrogen peroxide-dependent DNA damage in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).2025 · Free Radic Biol Med · In the lab
- Ascorbic acid as serine protease inhibitor in lung cancer cell line and human serum albumin.2024 · PLoS One · In the lab
- Investigating anti-cancer activity of dual-loaded liposomes with thymoquinone and vitamin C.2024 · Ther Deliv · In the lab
- Antitumor efficacy of synthesized Ag-Au nanocomposite loaded with PEG and ascorbic acid in human lung cancer stem cells.2024 · Exp Cell Res · In the lab
- Potential Therapeutic Synergy of High-Dose Vitamin C and Nicotinamide as Adjunctive Therapy in an Elderly Patient With Extensive-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report.2026 · Cureus · Other paper
- SERPINE1 and SERPINB7 as potential biomarkers for intravenous vitamin C treatment in non-small-cell lung cancer.2023 · Free Radic Biol Med · Other paper
- Pharmacological Ascorbate Elicits Anti-Cancer Activities against Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer through Hydrogen-Peroxide-Induced-DNA-Damage.2023 · Antioxidants (Basel) · Other paper
- Improved Chemotherapy Outcomes of Patients With Small-cell Lung Cancer Treated With Combined Alkalization Therapy and Intravenous Vitamin C.2021 · Cancer Diagn Progn · Other paper
