Hemolysis attributed to high dose vitamin C: Two case reports

High-dose vitamin C treatment (HVCT) can reduce the adverse effect of chemotherapy and enhance the effect of antitumor therapy, which has been considered one of the safest alternative treatments. However, the severity of its adverse effects may have been underestimated. The most serious adverse effect is hemolysis, which may result in acute kidney injury or death. Although glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is considered to be the main cause, the probability and pathological mechanism are not completely understood, leading to a lack of effective and standardized treatment methods.

Two patients with colorectal cancer developed hemolytic anemia after using 1 g/kg HVCT. In contrast to previous cases, the lowest hemoglobin level in the two cases was < 50 g/L, which was lower than previously reported. This may be because Case 1 had chronic hepatitis B for many years, which caused abnormal liver reserve function, and Case 2 had grade II bone marrow suppression. Both patients improved and were discharged after blood replacement therapy. Our cases had the most severe degree of hemolysis but the best prognosis, suggesting that our treatment may be helpful for rescue of drug-induced hemolysis. This is the first review of the literature on hemolysis caused by HVCT, and we found that all patients with G6PD deficiency developed hemolysis after HVCT.

G6PD deficiency should be considered as a contraindication to HVCT, and it is not recommended for patients with bone marrow suppression, moderate-to-severe anemia, hematopoietic abnormalities, or abnormal liver and kidney function. Early blood purification and steroid therapy may avoid acute kidney injury or death caused by HVCT-related hemolytic anemia.