Background : Administration of vitamin C which has been reported to having effects as
an immunostimulator and antitumour by increases macrophage number and apoptosis
index. Breast cancer patients are likely to experience a decrease in immunity.
Objective: To provide evidence of vitamin C as an immunostimulator for the cellular
immunity through augmentation of macrophage number and apoptosis index surround
the tumor tissue in breast cancer who received injection of vitamin C 2 after the third
neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Methods: Randomized Clinical Trial with comparison group with pre and post test
design. Treatment group was selected by simple randomization. Injection of vitamin C 2
gr/day for 5 days was administered to the treatment group after the third neoadjuvant
chemotherapy. On the sixth day examine macrophage number and apoptosis index
surround the tumor was conducted after mastectomy. Data analysis consists of
descriptive analysis and hypotesis test.
Result There was an increase of macrophage number in treatment group compared with
control group with p= 0.000, There was an increase of apoptosis in treatment group
compared with control group with p = 0.000
Conclusion: Vitamin C increases the macrophage number and apoptosis index surround
the tumor in IIIB stage breast cancer patients after the third neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Keywords: Vitamin C, macrophage, apoptosis inde,x breast cancer, chemotherap
