A Phase 2 Study Adding Ascorbate to Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy for NSCLC

Inclusion Criteria:

Note: patients who have a small pleural effusion that is too small to safety tap and is not visible on a chest x-ray are still eligible

Pathologic diagnosis (i.e., cell sample, biopsy, tissue swap, bronchoscopy) of non-small cell lung cancer.
Recommended to receive carboplatin & paclitaxel with radiation therapy as a treatment
Tumor or metastatic disease must measure at least 1 cm using a CT scan (CAT scan)
Physician determined the patient is healthy enough for chemotherapy and radiation therapy
At least part of the lung cancer must be viewable and measurable by CT or MRI
A platelet count of at least 100,000 cells per mililiter
A creatinine level of less than 1 1/2 times the upper limit of normal for the local lab test, or, a creatinine clearance of at least 60 mL/(min*1.73m2)
Not pregnant, and commit to using birth control during the study

Exclusion Criteria:

Exudative pleural effusion
Recurrent non-small cell lung cancer
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency
Patients actively receiving insulin or patients whose doctors have recommended current insulin use
Patients requiring daily finger-stick blood glucose measurements

Patients who are on the following drugs and cannot have a substitution or who decline the substitution:

warfarin
flecainide
methadone
amphetamines
quinidine
chlorpropamide
Prior radiation therapy that would result in a field overlap
Enrolled in another therapeutic clinical trial
Uncontrolled, intercurrent illness
Lactating women
HIV positive individuals undergoing therapy due to known drug:drug interaction between antiretroviral drugs and high-dose ascorbate therapy

If all the above are met, the potential participant will receive a 15 gram challenge dose of ascorbate via intravenous infusion. This is the final screening procedure.