title: New Insights on Vitamin C and Cancer (SpringerBriefs in Cancer Research)
author:  Michael J. Gonzalez 
description: Research on vitamin C and its effects on cancer is growing in popularity around the world as positive research continues to accumulate building a stronger case for its effectiveness. This concise SpringerBrief on Vitamin C and Cancer presents the latest findings on how vitamin C induces apoptosis. A high concentration of vitamin C allows for ascorbate to generate hydrogen peroxide in tissue that can selectively kill cancer cells. Research has confirmed that high-dose vitamin C is cytotoxic to a wide variety of cancer cell lines, and that it also boosts the anti-cancer activity of several common chemotherapy drugs. Vitamin C also does more than just kill cancer cells. It boosts immunity by stimulating collagen formation to help the body wall off the tumor. It inhibits hyaluronidase, an enzyme that tumors use to metastasize and invade other organs throughout the body.This concise and up-to-date Brief is geared towards cancer researchers and scientists, as well as physicians interested in the basic science and the translational potential of vitamin C in cancer therapeutics.
zlib_text: © The Author(s) 2014
  
  Michael J. Gonzalez and Jorge R. Miranda-MassariNew Insights on Vitamin C and
  CancerSpringerBriefs in Cancer Research10.1007/978-1-4939-1890-4_1
  
  # 1\. Overview of Vitamin C and Cancer
  
  Michael J. Gonzalez1  and Jorge R. Miranda-Massari2
  
  (1)
  
  Department of Human Development, Nutrition Program School of Public Health,
  University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
  
  (2)
  
  Department Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, University of Puerto Rico,
  Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
  
  Michael J. Gonzalez (Corresponding author)
  
  Email: [mgonzalez@rcm.upr.edu](mailto:mgonzalez@rcm.upr.edu)
  
  Jorge R. Miranda-Massari
  
  Email: [jorge.miranda2@upr.edu](mailto:jorge.miranda2@upr.edu)
  
  Keywords
  
  History of vitamin CFirst controlled experimentVitamin CCancerDosingSide
  effects
  
  ##
  
  
  History of Vitamin C
  
  
  : A Briefing
  
  
  In 1536, the French explorer Jacques Cartier, while exploring the St. Lawrence
  River, used the local natives’ herbal medic