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.