Clinical Research Directory

Inclusion Criteria: * Pathologic diagnosis (cell samples, biopsy, brushing, surgical sample) of adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Cancer from the Ampullae of Vater is also eligible. The tissue sample can be from a metastatic location, like a lymph node. * Metastatic or node positive disease * One cancer site, that did not receive radiation therapy, that is at least 1 cm in size when looking at it by CT scan (CAT scan) * Recommended to receive gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel * Failed initial therapy or be ineligible for definitive curative therapy (e.g., surgical excision, radiation therapy) * A platelet count of at least 100,000 cells per mL * 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 * Commit to using birth control during the study (all participants) Exclusion Criteria: * Prior chemotherapy to treat the metastatic disease * Other therapy (including radiation) within the past 4 weeks * Side effects from prior therapies that are still deemed moderate to severe by a physician * Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency * Patients actively receiving insulin or who are currently recommended to receive insulin by a doctor * 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 * An active cancer, other than the pancreatic cancer, that requires treatment. * Enrolled in another therapeutic clinical trial * Uncontrolled, intercurrent illness * HIV positive individuals undergoing therapy due to known drug:drug interaction between antiretroviral drugs and high-dose ascorbate therapy * Women who are nursing