(Radio Iowa) – Medical researchers at the University of Iowa report promising progress in fighting one of the worst cancer killers. The phase-two clinical trial found that adding high-dose, intravenous vitamin C to chemotherapy doubles the overall survival rate of patients with late-stage pancreatic cancer from eight months to 16. The study’s lead author says the results were so strong in showing the therapy’s benefits for survival that they stopped the trial early.

The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is only 13-percent. Some 64,000 people will be diagnosed with it nationwide this year, and more than 50,000 will die from it. UI researchers say the use of vitamin C in an IV also shows a significant boost in survival rates for patients with glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer. It’s also being tested at the UI in lung cancer treatment. The researchers say vitamin C is very inexpensive to use in an IV — and it’s very well tolerated by patients.

All three clinical trials were funded by the National Cancer Institute.