Overcoming Chemotherapy Drug Resistance with Oxidizing Nutraceuticals: A Brief Review and Case Reports

Many stage III or IV carcinomas and lymphomas can be rendered into remission with standard-of-care chemotherapy protocols. Chemotherapy-induced cancer cell apoptosis is initiated by different primary intracellular toxic events, but all of these must ultimately culminate in mitochondrial outer membrane depolarization (MOMP). The final common pathway in most cases results from overwhelming intracellular hyper-oxidation. Unfortunately, many such cancers ultimately relapse, populated by chemotherapy resistant clones. Indeed, one of the most important mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance is amplification of the antioxidant capacity on the part of the resistant cells, such that standard dose chemotherapy by itself can no longer induce apoptosis. In order to overcome this barrier, pro-oxidant nutraceuticals were administered along with standard dose chemotherapy to suitable patients. All of the pro-oxidant compounds were given orally, and no measurable toxicity was observed. Illustrative case reports are presented, and a discussion of the potential for improving standard of care treatment of refractory cancers by this method is provided.