Vitamin D Supplementation Improves Pathological Complete Response in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Nutr Cancer. 2025 Mar 17:1-10. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2025.2480854 PDF is behind paywall
Michelle Sako Omodei 1, Jackeline Chimicoviaki 1, Daniel Araujo Brito Buttros 1, Benedito Souza Almeida-Filho 2, Carla Priscila Carvalho-Pessoa 2, Eduardo Carvalho-Pessoa 1 2, Heloisa De Luca Vespoli 1 2, Eliana Aguiar Petri Nahas 1 2
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin D (VD) supplementation on the pathological complete response (pCR) rate in women with breast cancer (BC) undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT). A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 80 women aged ≥45years with BC who were eligible for NCT. Women were randomized into two groups: VD group, daily supplementation with 2,000IU of cholecalciferol (n = 40) or placebo (n = 40), for 6 months. The primary outcome measure was the pCR rate. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D [25(OH)D] levels were measured after BC diagnosis and the end of NCT. Of the 80 randomized women, 75 completed the NCT and underwent surgery. Baseline 25(OH)D values indicated hypovitaminosis D in both groups (VD: 19.6 ± 5.8 ng/mL and placebo: 21 ± 7.9 ng/mL, p = 0.33). After 6 months, 25(OH)D levels increased in the VD group compared to the placebo group (28 ± 8.7 vs. 20.2 ± 6.1 ng/mL, p = 0.03). The pCR rate was higher in women supplemented with VD when compared than the placebo (43% vs. 24%, p = 0.04).
Adjusted logistic regression showed that women with 25(OH)D levels ≥20ng/mL were more likely to achieve pCR (OR 3.65, 95%CI 1.09-12.8, p = 0.04). Women with BC undergoing NCT who received supplementation with 2,000IU of VD were more likely to achieve a pathological complete response than women in the placebo group.
Asked Perplexity AI several questions to understand this abstract
It is unlikely that the 2,000 IU provided much benefits for the first 4 months
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Providing the first 3 months of vitamin D in the first week would have been much better
2,000 X 90 days = 180,000 IU in a week = 25,000 IU daily
Followed by maintenance dosing of at least 2,000 IU for the last 3 months
See related in VitaminDWiki
- Breast Cancer cure rate by chemotherapy increased 2.3 X by Vitamin D (50,000 IU weekly) - RCT April 2025
- Breast Cancer Chemo 35% more likely to be successful if more than 20 ng of Vitamin D – meta-analysis Dec 2024
- Breast Cancer survivors with high vitamin D were 3.3 X less likely to have metastases – May 2023
- Breast Cancers with the lowest Vitamin D levels were more likely to metastasize – Sept 2022
- Half of Breast Cancer patients opt for vitamin D (German survey) – Jan 2021
- 85 percent less risk of death from Breast Cancer when vitamin D levels higher than 30 ng – May 2012
- Breast Cancer chemotherapy 2.7 X more likely to be successful if not vitamin D deficient – Dec 2017
- Chemotherapy and vitamin D - many studies
- More vitamin D is better, but Vitamin D increases the potency of some chemo drugs, to the point of becoming deadly if the dose is not reduced
What is Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy?
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a form of cancer treatment in which chemotherapy drugs are administered before the primary treatment, usually surgery, with the goal of shrinking the tumor or reducing the extent of the cancer.
This preoperative approach aims to make the tumor easier to remove, potentially allowing for less extensive surgery and better surgical outcomes